Designing Schools for Children with Impairments: The Powers of Architecture

Abstract

Education is an important foundation of society yet children with impairments have limited opportunities for participation in school activities. There is a lack of functionality in the design of school spaces and outdoor play areas for children with impairments, arguably as there are insufficient performance guidelines that target the body condition of children with impairments. Architectural barriers that prevent a child's participation in school can decrease their quality of life, often resulting in the further deterioration of their health. This research explores existing knowledge across disciplines aimed at promoting and facilitating impaired children's physical and mental resilience and well-being in a school environment. The research method involves systematic evaluation of the current school design knowledge surrounding the creation of learning environments that target children with impairments and proposes a set of performance-based design criteria. It finds that there is a lack of health research examining the usefulness of classroom and play spaces for children with impairments, which prohibit an ideal learning environment for children with multiple impairments. In addition, it finds a demand for greater integration of outdoor play with education, which in turn can make participation within schools more enjoyable.

Therapeutic Environments and the Role of Physiological Factors in Creating Inclusive Psychological and Socio-Cultural Landscapes

“…Seniors have emphasized that they are worried about being knocked over by younger persons, which discourages them from using facilities in public spaces (Mitchell et al, 2007). At the same time, intergenerational playgrounds have been cited as being excellent connectors for adults, seniors and children (McIntosh et al, 2019). In addition, they provide cognitive and physical benefits and help to reduce stress (Finlay et al, 2015).…”

Inclusive Schools Design: A Phenomenological Investigation into Visually Impaired Lived Experiences

“…The social model promotes the idea of deinstitutionalization, which means inclusion of children with sensory impairments and other disabilities in the community [5]. School design criteria for children with impairments are very limited, and the necessary design qualities of space to cope with their impairments are often missing in the built environment [6]. The main aim of this paper is to add a layer to inclusivity, by including visually impaired children"s real lived experiences in the inclusive design guidelines.…”