Movahed Mehrnoosh, Martial Luca, Poldma Tiiu, Slanik Monica, Shikako Keiko
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada.
School of Design, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada.
Children (Basel). 2023 Jul 29;10(8):1308. doi: 10.3390/children10081308.
Every child, irrespective of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or ability, deserves the fundamental right to experience play, which is a powerful and enriching activity that fosters their physical and mental health. Regrettably, most public play spaces hinder the complete inclusion of children with disabilities, with the main reason being a lack of universal accessibility. This study identified existing international and Canadian policies and community best practices related to inclusive playgrounds, and gathered stakeholders' opinions on the present condition of playgrounds, including challenges faced by children with disabilities and recommendations to make playgrounds inclusive. The questionnaires were completed by 97 participants. In addition, 10 individual interviews and three focus groups were performed. Ten policy documents and five community best practices were found. Our investigation identified factors that influence the design and implementation of inclusive playgrounds, categorized into three main areas: physical, social, and political environments. The results indicate that children with disabilities lack opportunities to engage fully in the physical and social aspects of playgrounds and spontaneous play activities with their peers. Notably, children with multiple disabilities may not feel welcomed or included in existing public play spaces.
每个孩子，无论社会经济地位、种族或能力如何，都应享有体验玩耍的基本权利，玩耍是一项对促进他们身心健康有力且有益的活动。遗憾的是，大多数公共游乐场所阻碍了残疾儿童的全面融入，主要原因是缺乏普遍可达性。本研究确定了与包容性游乐场相关的现有国际和加拿大政策以及社区最佳实践，并收集了利益相关者对游乐场现状的意见，包括残疾儿童面临的挑战以及使游乐场具有包容性的建议。97名参与者完成了问卷。此外，还进行了10次个人访谈和3次焦点小组讨论。发现了10份政策文件和5种社区最佳实践。我们的调查确定了影响包容性游乐场设计和实施的因素，分为三个主要领域：物理环境、社会环境和政治环境。结果表明，残疾儿童缺乏充分参与游乐场物理和社会方面以及与同龄人自发玩耍活动的机会。值得注意的是，多重残疾儿童可能在现有的公共游乐场所中感觉不受欢迎或不被接纳。
