Everybody Can Play: OT’s Role With Inclusive Playgrounds

Katelyn Thompson, Central Community College

Play is an important occupation in all children’s lives. Children learn to explore their environment through play and develop physical and cognitive skills. As occupational therapy (OT) practitioners and students, we know this very well. We help children succeed in the occupation of play, but what about where they play? One common place for children to play is a playground: swings, monkey bars, slides, and more … oh my! We often forget about the barriers children with disabilities face when going to a public park or playground. How can we as future OT practitioners help?

As OT and OT students, our knowledge and skillset make us a useful and appropriate resource for the design of inclusive playgrounds. OT practitioners can analyze many aspects of playgrounds to make them more inclusive: physical and social environments, body functions and structures used to perform tasks, objects and their properties, and space demands. These are just a few different aspects that practitioners can assess to help make playgrounds more inclusive. The seven principles of universal design can assist in making a playground more inclusive: 1) equitable use, 2) flexibility in use, 3) simple and intuitive use, 4) perceptible information, 5) tolerance for error, 6) low physical effort, and 7) appropriate size and space for approach and use. There are many ways to use the principles of universal design to make playgrounds more inclusive for all populations.

Some ideas to help include children with physical limitations would be to include ramps to all levels of the playground, having activities at ground height, and ensuring flat ground surfaces to ease wheelchair access. Not only do children with physical disabilities encounter barriers at playgrounds, but so do children with sensory processing disorder or children with visual and perceptual disorders. Ideas to address these impairments include colorful and interactive art elements, textured equipment, interactive music areas, including braille on equipment, interactive water features, areas to rest or calm down, equipment to promote movements of rocking or swinging, and interactive and educational areas.

While inclusive playgrounds aid children with disabilities in participating in play, they also benefit parents, adults with disabilities, and the geriatric population. Traditional playgrounds can create barriers for parents with physical disabilities in participating in play with their children. On inclusive playgrounds, everyone is welcome to play and participate without barriers holding them back. Ramps can help parents in wheelchairs or pushing strollers, or grandparents with walkers. Different sizes of swings or gliders can allow adults with disabilities the chance to play as well. These are just a few scenarios of how inclusive playgrounds can benefit everyone of all ages and abilities!

As future OT practitioners, we are vital in the advocacy for and design of inclusive playgrounds. We often find ourselves advocating for our clients, treatments, and our profession as a whole. As students, we can apply our passion and knowledge to advocate for meaningful occupations by promoting and explaining the need for playgrounds to be accessible for all. The public might not be aware of this important topic if it does not affect them directly. To raise awareness of inclusive playgrounds in our communities, we can research locations of inclusive playgrounds to recommend to others. This Playground Directory allows you to search for inclusive playgrounds near you. If there isn’t one near you, you can be an advocate by contacting your local parks department, city, or facilities department and sharing how your community would benefit from an inclusive playground.

There are already OTs who are advocating and designing inclusive playgrounds, such as Ingrid Kanics, OTR/L. Ingrid is the owner of her own consulting business that helps in the design of indoor and outdoor inclusive playgrounds. There are also communities passing bills to help ensure access to inclusive playgrounds for all. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a law, known as “Jake’s Law,” that incentivizes counties in the state to build inclusive playgrounds for children and adults with disabilities. As students, it is important for us to continue working towards inclusive playgrounds being available for everyone, advocating for individuals with disabilities, and using our unique lens to apply principles that make playgrounds inclusive for all.

Katelyn Thompson is a COTA and lives on a farm in Clarks, NE, with her fiancé and their three dogs. She loves traveling, reading, cooking, and anything outdoors! She graduated in May 2020 and is currently working in home health. Her favorite occupational therapy settings include pediatrics and hippotherapy.

July 2021