The interests of disabled children have not been fully considered when planning and designing public play spaces. The need for guidance was highlighted in the report ‘Living Places; Cleaner, Safer, Greener’. Access to play spaces helps children and their families build relationships and neighbourhood networks that can bind communities and promote social inclusion.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned Inclusion, Childhood and Education Ltd to produce a good practice guide. It aims to help interested parties in developing accessible play space. The advice can be tailored to individual settings on developing accessible play space disabled children can use.

All children are fundamentally entitled to go out to play; good design of public play spaces enables this. Access to the social experience of play is key where full access is not possible. Environmental barriers that exclude children with impairments (uneven surfaces, narrow gates) can easily be changed and are not necessarily expensive.

Social barriers (fear, embarrassment, discriminatory attitudes) also need to be tackled. There must be a willingness to seek out and remove disabling barriers. When children play together, parents invariably talk together and new community alliances are forged. Inclusive play spaces are the seedbeds for sustainable and inclusive communities.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned Inclusion, Childhood and Education Ltd to produce a good practice guide.

Based on consultation with:

The guide aims to help all those with an interest in developing accessible play space.

The key recommendation of the guide is that developers should concentrate on making the environment fit the child. A willingness to seek out and remove disabling barriers is essential. Reviewing facilities is an ideal start. Ascertain what to include by working with disabled children to find their requirements.

Natural resources can greatly enhance quality of the play experience for disabled children. Equipment plays an important role in play spaces but children also want to do other things. Taking risk is an integral part of play and cannot be eliminated. Funding is important but accessibility doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Communities and Local Government
contactus@communities.gov.uk

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//2003

Inclusion, Childhood and Education Ltd

research

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Integration of social groups

Disabled people, Young people