Play Equipment
Budget constraints and the need for specialist equipment are often cited as a barrier to the development of an inclusive play space. It is not necessary or desirable to have equipment which is specifically designed for wheelchair use – many ‘standard’ items offer a huge variety of play functions which allow all children to play together, rather than highlighting the differences. Very few children want to be singled out as different – whatever that difference might be.
Many children with special needs are very capable of using moving equipment and often experience greater sensations than able-bodied children on this type of equipment.
- Sensory experiences e.g. sand & water play
- Use of themed equipment to stimulate imagination
- Non-prescriptive equipment allows children to interpret how it is used in their own way
- Essential to allow access to social experience, not to every piece of equipment
- Items specifically designed for “disability” inhibit inclusion – indeed make them exclusive
- Offer choice & different ways to access equipment e.g. ropes, ladders, ramped accesses