No "Obstacles" In Playgrounds That Are Not Only Accessible But Also Inclusive

Abstract

In the current century, the importance of play for children is a major issue addressed in the literature. Play enables the physical, mental and social development of children. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, engaging in play is a fundamental right for children. This article of the convention covers all children below the age of 18 and does not exclude the children with disabilities. Like their peers, children with disabilities should also enjoy the right to engage in play, and societies should use every means available in order to help children play whether indoors or outdoors. According to the 2011 Population and Housing Research, 6.6% of the population in Turkey has one or more disabilities. The target group of this study is 'children with disabilities' who live in İstanbul. In this group, speech disorders (21.9%), and mental disabilities (17.1%) prove to be the most dominant disabilities. However, the number of playgrounds where disabled children can play are scarce in number.

Park Inclusive Design Index as a Systematic Evaluation Framework to Improve Inclusive Urban Park Uses: The Case of Hangzhou Urban Parks

“…In this regard, significant progress has been made by studies that proposed a qualitative assessment model for inclusive public spaces. The model covers six dimensions based on universal design principles, including play activities, amenities and opportunities, pathways and entrances, accessibility, natural features, and adjacency [21]. The evaluation criteria also include 11 secondary indicators, namely transparency of accessibility information, external accessibility, facility access solutions, restroom services, safety systems, and internal accessibility guidance.…”

“…Moreover, drawing methods have also been employed as an intuitive and qualitative evaluation approach. Some researchers have used cross-sectional evaluations to compare the inclusive design of multiple parks [21,29]. Apart from park-focused evaluations, the inclusive design of park facilities has also proven to be an effective method for measuring park inclusivity [30].…”

Assessing Play Equality in Malaysian Public Playground through Universal Design Principle

“…Sand or gravel was usually used as surface material. This type of material usually causes difficulty for children with disabilities to reach the playground, especially the wheelchair user, as sand seems impossible for them to traverse (Ayatac, 2017). Besides, in a study by Prellwitz (2007a), these children expressed that most playground pieces of equipment were unreasonably small to maneuver around if they had some sort of mobility device.…”

“…According to Ayatac (2017), even if these children managed to reach public playgrounds, they are not adequately welcome to play as the equipment provided does not support their particular needs. The number of the playground that can meet their special needs are scarce in number.…”