Author’s note: In recognition of the varying language preferences across the disability community and experience, throughout this article I’ve used person-first language (i.e. children with disabilities) and identity-first language (i.e. disabled children) interchangeably.
The good news is, that’s changing. Thanks to the work of inclusive-play advocates and greater use of inclusive design practices, playgrounds are evolving to better meet the needs of the greater disabled community. Now, more kids with vision and hearing disabilities can play like – and with – everyone else.
Rethinking inclusive play
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is often seen as the driving force behind making spaces more accessible. However, the focus when designing a playground tends to be on including access for those with mobility disabilities.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of students ages 3 to 21 who received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 15% of all public-school students. And of that 15%, only 1% is attributed to orthopedic disabilities. If a playground is only focused on orthopedic disabilities, it may not address the needs of people with other disabilities, such as vision and hearing.
Certainly, many communities and schools do try to address the needs of disabled groups in play spaces. But too often, the intent is greater than the impact. A good example is when braille signs are used in a playground. It’s a thoughtful step. But today, due to a shortage of braille teachers and an increase in assistive technology, only about 1 in 10 blind children are literate in braille.
Fortunately, the focus on inclusive play today is more holistic and intentional. Now, kids with vision or hearing disabilities have spaces where they can not only play, but also feel comfortable accessing, getting oriented and moving around in.
What’s Changing
Modern, more inclusive playgrounds accommodate kids with vision and hearing disabilities in many ways.
If you have a child who is blind or has low vision, for instance, you may notice greater use of color and contrast at playgrounds. This can help children better perceive and differentiate playground features.
Steps on the playground may use color cues. This can help kids spot changes in elevation and know how far they need to climb. A balance beam may contrast in color with the ground below. This can inspire a kid with limited depth perception to see it and walk it. And solid or tightly perforated surfaces like the deck of a playground structure can help a low-vision child more easily identify it as walkable than surfaces with large perforation.
Subtle additions can also help blind and low-vision kids better orient themselves on play spaces. Tactile maps can help them mentally map the area. Sound elements like musical play panels or outdoor musical instruments help alert users to where they are. And elements like colored walkways, ground texture changes and guide ropes can help them get around.
More thought is also being put into how deaf and hard-of-hearing kids experience playgrounds.
Open spaces and wide walkways, for example, make it easier for kids who are deaf to communicate with sign language, which typically requires more space than spoken language. An open layout and easy-to-reach high point that overlooks a playground can also give kids with hearing disabilities greater spatial awareness of the area and help them “read” activities.
If your child wears a cochlear implant, you’re probably used to going out of your way to protect it. At playgrounds, that means avoiding plastic slides, which generate static that can damage the expensive device. But with a roller, concrete or stainless-steel slide, your child can enjoy going down a slide without worrying about static buildup.
Some inclusive play elements for kids with hearing disabilities may even surprise you. For example, deaf and hard-of-hearing kids can be drawn to musical play features like bells. The kids may not hear the bells ring, but they can enjoy them with their other senses, like watching them shake or feeling them vibrate.
How You Can Help
So, how can you make your local playgrounds more inclusive for kids with vision and hearing disabilities? The best thing you can do is be a good advocate.
That begins by being informed about inclusive play. Think about who will use a playground and what inclusion means for them. For example, get local ability demographics. They can help you understand your local disabled community so a playground can be designed to their unique needs.
Inclusive play features should also be woven into a playground in an intentional way. Otherwise, kids with disabilities can end up alone in isolated areas of play. What’s nice about features like colorful stairs, roller slides and musical devices is that they can be integrated throughout a playground. They make play more inclusive for everyone. But they can be enjoyed by anyone.
Finally, use the power of positivity. Work with your city officials to inform them of your child’s unique needs and offer your help. By working together, you’ll engage more of the community and get more dedicated resources to create an inclusive space.
A group of students at Glen Lake Elemen-tary School in Minnesota are a shining example of what a little initiative can do. The students wanted their fellow classmates with disabilities to be able to play on the school’s playground just like them. They raised funds however they could and not only hit but exceeded their goal of raising $300,000 to make the playground more inclusive. And now, they’ve set a goal to make more school playgrounds in their community inclusive.
Play For All
On the playground, innovation can be an invitation – to play, to learn, to grow. To have the same experience as everyone else. By continuing to evolve playground designs to address the needs of kids with vision and hearing disabilities, playgrounds can be what they should be – places where every kid can have fun.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jill Moore is a Inclusive Play Specialist at Landscape Structures. She uses her lived experience as a wheelchair user to help inform intentional design practices to create truly inclusive playgrounds including sensory diverse environments, designing for the blind–low vision–deaf–or hard of hearing child, and retrofitting existing playgrounds for adaptive recreation. She brings the voice of the disabled community and inclusive design practices into the product-development process at Landscape Structures. With a specific focus on merging lived experience with universal design principles, Jill promotes and educates audiences on the importance of integrating inclusion in play and bringing people with disabilities into the conversation. As an accredited educational presenter – both in the classroom and the playground – play has become her full-time role. During her lifetime, Jill has represented Team USA as a multi-sport athlete, bringing perspective on the importance of recreation and how imperative equitable access to play is for all.
Read the article here.