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Eden Social Welfare Foundation
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2018-08-14

CRPD Article 7 | Inclusive Playground - Playing is Children’s Birthright 共融式遊戲場 | Eden Social Welfare Foundation 伊甸基金會

 

Written By CIOU Cing-Yi 邱慶宜   |  Photographed By HE Wei-Gang何維綱

Translated By 葉宇晨 and Ivory

 

CRPD Article 7 Children with disabilities 身心障礙兒童

1. States Parties shall take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children.

締約各國應當採取一切必要措施,確保身心障礙兒童在與其他兒童平等的基礎上,充分享有一切人權和基本自由。

 

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Inclusive Playground - Playing is Children’s Birthright

 

What differentiates an “Inclusive Playground” from an ordinary playground or a park is its design, which emphasizes the idea that every child should be given equal opportunity to play in the park no matter what condition one has. Everyone’s need for game and challenge will be satisfied. Everyone will feel happy in this wonderland.

 

In other countries, the idea of an inclusive playground has been fulfilling for years.

Now, the same is seen in our country, protecting different children’s rights to participate in the game field.

 

 ” Playing is children’s birthright,” Lin Pei-Rong, associate professor of early childhood education at the University of Taipei, said in the conference of an inclusive playground in Taipei in 2017. She also stated that playing is learning for children,  having positive impacts on many aspects of children’s development, including body, brain, social interaction, language, and problem-solving.

 

 A playground is the cradle of every kid’s childhood and is a paradise where friends have fun together. In the playground, children can savor the joy of getting along with their friends and build interpersonal relationships.

Lin Pei-Rong shared that research has shown that lack of playing in early childhood could lead to mental illness, depression, or anxiety disorder, and they are all deeply connected.

 

playground

 

 During the process of playing, children imitate and learn from each other. However, many playgrounds are short of access-free design, which makes them inconvenient for disabled children. Therefore, families with disabled children are not used to playing in a park, due to discrimination, unfriendly looks in others’ eyes,  language, drawbacks of the facilities, and so on. Those reasons force disabled children out of the playgrounds.

 

After the introduction of an inclusive playground, it is expected that EVERY child can have a great time. Only when obstacles are combated, inclusiveness can be achieved.

 

Perhaps children will have inquisitive questions about those with disabilities, but we hope that parents can find an understandable way to answer the kids and make them understand the likeness and difference between each other.

And eventually, they can learn to be respectful and inclusive at the inclusive playground.