Accessibility Evaluation of the Playground During the Play of Children with Cerebral Palsy In School

ABSTRACT: In the school context, the playground is an important place for children to participate in recreational activities. Through play, children acquire knowledge, they develop skills and abilities, they can feel pleasure and express their feelings. However, for the playground to promote the development of children, it must be accessible and safe for all children, including those with disabilities. The aim of this research was to evaluate the accessibility of a school playground of Early Childhood Education and also to analyse the participation of children with cerebral palsy in recreational activities developed in it. The participants were three children with cerebral palsy, from four to six years old, from a school of Early Childhood Education in a municipality of São Paulo - Brazil. Data collection was divided into two stages: 1) evaluation of the accessibility of the playground using the Protocol for evaluation of physical accessibility in Early Childhood Education schools; 2) observation of children with cerebral palsy during play activities in the playground. It was noted that the playground is not accessible for children with cerebral palsy. However, they participated in activities with the help of teachers and caregivers. The lack of adequate recreational equipment may have hindered the best performance of the children in school playground activities. It is necessary to educate professionals to increase the participation of children during play activities and to adequate the playground, making it accessible and safe for all children, as it is proposed by the Universal Design.

摘要：在校园场景中，操场是儿童参与休闲娱乐活动的重要场所。儿童通过游戏获取知识、发展各项技能与能力，同时获得愉悦体验并抒发自身情感。然而，若要使操场切实助力儿童成长，其必须对所有儿童（包括残障儿童）具备可通达性与安全性。本研究旨在评估巴西圣保罗州某市镇内一所幼儿教育学校操场的可通达性，并分析脑瘫儿童在该场地开展的休闲娱乐活动中的参与情况。研究参与者为该校3名4至6岁的脑瘫儿童。数据采集分为两个阶段：1）采用《幼儿教育学校物理可通达性评估协议（Protocol for evaluation of physical accessibility in Early Childhood Education schools）》对操场的可通达性进行评估；2）观察脑瘫儿童在操场游戏活动中的表现。研究结果显示，该操场对脑瘫儿童而言不具备可通达性，但儿童可在教师与护理人员的协助下参与活动。缺乏适配的休闲娱乐设施可能限制了儿童在操场活动中的表现水平。有必要对相关从业人员开展教育培训，以提升儿童在游戏活动中的参与度，并按照通用设计（Universal Design）所倡导的要求对操场进行改造，使其对所有儿童均具备可通达性与安全性。