Evaluating the accessibility and inclusiveness of community playgrounds for disabled children in Australia : a research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Construction in Sustainable Built Environment, School of Built Environment, Massey University, New Zealand
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Date
2023
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Massey University
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Abstract
Play is a significant contributor to the social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development of children. Play is so vital to the wellbeing of children that it is recognised by the United Nations as a fundamental right of childhood. Children with disabilities however, encounter difficulty in realising their right to play. For children with disabilities, playgrounds can perpetuate exclusion and not be places of fun. The existence of barriers to participate in play for children with disabilities is contrary to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognises that children with disabilities should have equal accesses to participate in play. For children with disabilities an accessible playground provides an environment where there are no physical or environmental barriers to movement, access, and participation. An inclusive playground, however, not only provides an accessible environment, but also allows children regardless of ability to participate equally in play and social experiences without barriers. Physical and social participation is the ultimate goal of an inclusive playground . . . A literature review was conducted to consider what previous evaluations or on-site auditing has been undertaken to evaluate the accessibility and inclusiveness of community playgrounds for disabled children. Upon completion of the literature review, using the New South Wales Government’s Everyone Can Play: Playspace Evaluation Checklist, the accessibility and inclusiveness of community playgrounds for disabled children was assessed at 25 community playgrounds located in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The results were used to rank the audited community playgrounds in order of highest overall score to lowest overall score, and to provide a summary of the playgrounds accessible and inclusive features. The results demonstrate a potential relationship between the construction date of the playground and the accessibility and inclusiveness of the playground for disabled children. The older the playground is, the less likely it is to offer an accessible and inclusive environment for disabled children. Playgrounds located in New South Wales were more likely to offer an accessible and inclusive environment for disabled children compared to playgrounds located in Victoria. The findings also indicate that destination playgrounds are likely to feature more accessible and inclusive elements than neighbourhood playgrounds. When comparing the overall amenities scores of destination and neighbourhood playgrounds, destination playgrounds scored higher overall. The results indicate that there is limited correlation between accessible and inclusive playgrounds in areas of socio-economic advantage or disadvantage. Additionally, wayfinding, layout and signage was found to be a significant opportunity for improvement to the accessibility and inclusiveness of community playgrounds for disabled children.
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Research report for 218810