Outdoor play for everyone: an inclusive play area

Children with a disability or chronic illness are often less able to take part in both physical and social activities outdoors. “That’s a shame, because playing outdoors has so many benefits: it’s good for your health, it encourages participation in society and promotes well-being,” says Zheng Yen Ng. He recently started as a postdoc on the SPACES project and hopes this project will lead to greater inclusivity in playgrounds. 

According to researcher Zheng Yen Ng, children with a disability or chronic illness do not participate in play and outdoor activities as often as other children. One reason for this is that “play areas are by no means always accessible enough. Take, for example, a slide that can only be reached via a flight of stairs or climbing frames, which can be challenging both physically and visually.”

Another reason is that there is often less understanding of the needs, abilities, and strengths of children with disabilities, and “as a result, they often have less contact with other children and fewer opportunities to join in. This means they are less challenged to develop skills in play and sport. Yet play and sport actually boost self-confidence and help children learn social skills.”

As part of the SPACES project – ‘Supporting Participation and Accessibility for Children with a disability or a chronic disease through Empowering infrastructure Solutions in urban physical space’ – Zheng is researching inclusive play and sport in urban outdoor spaces. This is part of a team led by Associate Professor Heidi Lesscher. This involves developing play elements for a play area where all children can participate, but also creating a space where children with different abilities and strengths feel at home and can play in a way that suits them. Zheng explains: “To investigate what is important for this, we are working closely with, amongst others, children with and without disabilities, their families, experts by experience, architects, playground designers, material developers, healthcare professionals, and the local council.”

“With this project, we hope that all children will be able to exercise and play more. We are trying to raise awareness of what is possible and what is needed to create a place where all children can play and participate. We are convinced that, in the long term, this will contribute to a change in mindset and a more inclusive society.”