Open AccessUsability of playgrounds for children with different abilities
Author(s) -
Prellwitz Maria,
Skär Lisa
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
occupational therapy international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1557-0703
pISSN - 0966-7903
DOI - 10.1002/oti.230
Subject(s) - usability , psychology , interview , developmental psychology , point (geometry) , assistive technology , applied psychology , computer science , human–computer interaction , sociology , geometry , mathematics , anthropology
The aim of the present study was to better understand how children with different abilities use playgrounds to engage in creative play and interact socially with their peers. Twenty children aged between 7 and 12 years, with different abilities, participated in interviews. The findings showed that playgrounds served as a reference point for all the children, they challenged a child's physical abilities and provided opportunities for role‐playing and social interactions. However, for children with disabilities, playgrounds had limited accessibility, usability and did not support interaction with peers. A methodological limitation of the study was that the interviewer only met the children once. Further research should be carried out to investigate if creating playgrounds according to universal design principles and adapting them to the needs of children with disabilities would improve social interactions and provide more opportunities for play. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.