Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- What is the quantitative accessibility and inclusivity audit score of the case study playgrounds?
- Do playground characteristics such as playground age, location, and regional socioeconomic status affect the accessibility and inclusivity score for the case study playgrounds?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Literature Review Method
- Keywords and Boolean operators: “play” OR “playspace” OR “playground” OR “park” AND “access” OR “inclus*” OR “universal AND design” AND “disability” OR “disabled” AND “audit” OR “evaluat*” OR “checklist” OR “tool”.
- Articles written in English.
- Articles published between 2012 to 2024.
2.2. Auditing Tool Selection Method
- “Can I get there?” This has 20 components assessing location, layout, signage, and access and is worth a total of 40 points;
- “Can I play?” This has 34 components assessing play experience, wayfinding, access, equipment, and surfacing and is worth a total of 68 points;
- “Can I stay?” This has 24 components assessing safety, facilities, and landscape and is worth a total of 48 points.
2.3. Playground Selection, Audit Method and Data Analysis
2.4. Playground Characteristics Data Collection
3. Results
3.1. Playground Age and Audit Results for the 25 Playgrounds
3.2. Effect of Playground Age on Accessibility
3.3. The Effect of Socioeconomic Region on Playground Accessibility Score
3.4. Playground Features That Should Be Improved
4. Discussion
- Providing large, flat open spaces arranged in a simple, visually calming layout.
- Replacing wood chips, grass, and sand with rubber floor surfacing that is even and padded.
- Using lighting, color contrast, and ground markers with contrast and texture to signal changes in path height and boundaries to play equipment.
- Replacing stairs with ramps.
- Lowering the height differential of curb cuts.
- Avoiding flashing lights and minimizing noise sources.
- Using multiple modes of communicating information, such as audio messages, pictorial signage, braille, and large text signage.
- Providing more accessible parking spaces.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Barrier | Barrier Type | References |
---|---|---|
Playground surface | Accessibility | [6,8,22,31,32,33,34] |
Paths in the playground | Accessibility | [32,33] |
Paths from parking to playground | Accessibility | [8,22] |
Inadequate accessible parking | Accessibility | [22,33,35] |
Non-inclusive play equipment | Inclusivity | [6,8,31,32,33,34,36,37] |
Non-inclusive signage and boundaries | Inclusivity | [6,21] |
Lack of sensory play activities | Inclusivity | [8,22,33,36,38,39] |
Characteristic | Data Source |
---|---|
Renovation or construction year 1 | Internet municipal websites, personal communications 2 |
Socioeconomic region | The Australian Bureau of Statistics Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) [41] |
Destination or neighborhood | The Department of Health and Aged Care Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Area (RRMA) classification tool [42] for metropolitan, rural, or remote area, and Google Maps 3 |
Rank | Name, Location, Designation | Year | Audit | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Score | % | |||
1 | Bairnsdale (East Gippsland) Playground, Bairnsdale VIC 3875 (D) | 2013 | 149 | 96 |
2 | Belvoir Park Playground, Wodonga VIC 3690 (D) | 2023 | 144 | 92 |
3 | Lions Park, Bermagui NSW 2546 (D) | 2021 | 142 | 91 |
3 | Taylors Square Playground, Tathra NSW 2550 (D) | 2019 | 142 | 91 |
5 | JL Murphy Reserve Playground, Port Melbourne VIC 3207 (D) | 2020 | 135 | 87 |
6 | McNish ‘Dinosaur Park’ Reserve, Yarraville VIC 3013 (N) | 2022 | 132 | 85 |
7 | Donald McLean Playground, Spotswood VIC 3015 (D) | 2023 | 130 | 83 |
7 | Bombala Playground, Bombala NSW 2632 (D) | 2018 | 130 | 83 |
9 | Macalister River Park Playspace, Maffra VIC 3860 (D) | 2007 | 126 | 81 |
10 | Buckingham Reserve Playground, Port Melbourne VIC 3207 (N) | 2020 | 117 | 75 |
11 | Maclean Reserve, Williamstown VIC 3016 (N) | 2022 | 113 | 72 |
11 | Armstrong Reserve Playground, Newport VIC 3015 (N) | 2020 | 113 | 72 |
13 | Nijong Ninja Park, Cooma NSW 2630 (D) | 2018 | 107 | 69 |
14 | Cooma Centennial Park, Cooma NSW 2630 (D) | 2019 | 105 | 67 |
15 | Fort Gellibrand Playground, Williamstown VIC 3016 (N) | 2005 | 101 | 66 |
16 | Mick Baum Park Playground, Cann River VIC 3890 (D) | 2010 * | 82 | 53 |
16 | Huon Park Playground, Huon Creek VIC 3691 (N) | 2022 | 82 | 53 |
18 | Coongulla Community Centre Reserve, Coongulla VIC 3860 (N) | 2013 | 77 | 49 |
19 | Mappin Reserve, Seddon VIC 3011 (N) | 2016 | 71 | 46 |
20 | Commonwealth Reserve Playground, Williamstown VIC 3016 (D) | 2009 | 68 | 44 |
21 | Yarraville Gardens Playground, Yarraville VIC 3013 (N) | 2014 | 60 | 38 |
21 | Burgoyne Reserve Playground, Williamstown VIC 3016 (N) | 2014 | 60 | 38 |
23 | David Bayne Park Playground, Wodonga VIC 3690 (N) | 1994 | 46 | 29 |
24 | Clough Street Reserve, Williamstown VIC 3016 (N) | 2010 | 45 | 29 |
24 | Charles Bates Reserve, Williamstown VIC 3016 (N) | 2007 | 45 | 29 |
Category | Mean Points (%) | Standard Deviation Points (%) |
---|---|---|
Can I get there? | 26.4 (65.9%) | 6.6 (16.5%) |
Can I play? | 39.6 (58.3%) | 18.0 (26.5%) |
Can I stay? | 34.8 (72.5%) | 11.4 (23.9%) |
Total | 100.9 (64.7%) | 34.4 (22.1%) |
Feature | Playgrounds |
---|---|
The play space has signage or a map to aid navigation | 5 |
Pictographs and braille are provided on key instructional and safety signage | 3 |
There is a map at the play space entry to assist with navigation and decision-making | 0 |
Maps follow the points listed for inclusive signage 1 | 0 |
There is directional signage along activity trails | 2 |
Category | Feature | Points (%) |
---|---|---|
Can I get there? (40 points) | Accessible car parking; pictographs and braille are provided on key instructional and safety signage; access gates can be operated by an adult using a wheelchair or mobility device. | 6 (15.0%) |
Can I play? (68 points) | There are multiple opportunities for people with limited mobility. There is an appropriate color contrast between the paths and the play surfaces. The orientation path conforms to relevant Australian access standards. Elevated equipment pieces include a ramped access point for people of various ages with limited mobility. There is an accessible edge or point of access (flush or ramped) from the circulation path to the majority of play surfaces. All accessible equipment pieces have an accessible surface treatment to enable ease of use. Path surfaces provide sensory play opportunities through materiality or texture features. | 14 (20.6%) |
Can I stay? (48 points) | There is enough clearance space adjacent to the seat to park a pram, wheelchair, or mobility device without blocking the circulation space or path. There is an accessible toilet nearby that includes changing facilities for babies, children, and adults. | 4 (8.3%) |
All categories (156 points) | 24 (15.4%) |
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Glass, C.; Flemmer, C. Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities. Disabilities 2024, 4, 996-1005. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4040061
Glass C, Flemmer C. Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities. Disabilities. 2024; 4(4):996-1005. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4040061
Chicago/Turabian StyleGlass, Courtney, and Claire Flemmer. 2024. "Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities" Disabilities 4, no. 4: 996-1005. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4040061
APA StyleGlass, C., & Flemmer, C. (2024). Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities. Disabilities, 4(4), 996-1005. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4040061