Max Le Moine
Industrial Design Student
Inclusive Play Guideline
August 2023
This guideline was written by me during my internship with The Town of Aurora. It is focused on advising staff on how to impliment Inclusive Play (Universal Design) in Aurora! City Planners used these guidelines to increase the accessibility of Aurora Town Park as shown below.
Inclusive marry-go-round in Aurora Town Park (photo by Marc Le Moine)
As The Town of Aurora thrives to be an inclusive community, it is crucial to work towards making our parks inclusive to all. Inclusive Play is a new accessibility initiative that is being fostered by Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program, Holand Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, Inclusive Design Services, and University of Alberta (Ross et al., 2022). This initiative encourages and teaches organizations to create accessible playgrounds so every child and caregiver can experience play in their communities! This guideline will go over how The Town of Aurora can adopt Inclusive play to create a better experience for all.
Surface Material
Main Paths of Travel
To ensure all persons can travel to/from components of parks (e.g., parking, playgrounds, washrooms), accessible paths of travel should be provided. These should be paved and meet all requirements for accessible paths of travel.
Playground surfaces
To allow all children to travel in playgrounds, rubberized surfaces should be used. Different properly contrasting colors can be used to create zones. For example, the surface can be blue around equipment and black in more open areas. This is to help children (especially those with disabilities) be more aware of where to be more careful as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Playground with coloured zones (“Boutique Playground Design & Installation,” n.d.)
Types of Equipment
Regarding playground equipment, it is important to consider incorporating some inclusive play equipment in most parks to ensure every child has access to inclusive play throughout the Town. Here are some categories of equipment to consider.
Swings
It is always good to incorporate a variety of options of equipment to increase inclusivity, providing a variety of swings is an easy step to provide residents with choices. Along with belt, toddler bucket, and tire (for rotational movement) swings, incorporate bird nest and or plastic-molded harness swings for users who may need to be lying down or need upper body support.
Sensory Play
A fun way to make a playground more enjoyable is through sensory play. It is recommended to include visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory play features into a park. Different types of sensory play options. are described below.
Musical Instruments: Outdoor musical instruments, such as drums or xylophones. Children can experiment with different sounds, promoting auditory and musical exploration. Playing music together encourages social interaction and creativity.
Nature Exploration Area with Natural Elements: Design an area with nature-inspired elements like tree stumps, logs, and rocks. Children can engage in gross motor play by climbing and balancing, encouraging outdoor physical activity. It is important to make these areas accessible for those with mobility aids.
Interactive Panels and Boards: Boards with buttons, levers, or textured surfaces that respond to sounds or movements. Include boards with braille or tactile elements for children with visual impairments.
Ground-Level Play Features
Providing play features at ground level, including interactive panels, musical instruments, and mazes, promotes inclusive play without navigating elevated structures. This ensures that children of all abilities can play together, fostering social interaction and collaborative play.
Misters
Splash pads can be a hazard for those who use electrical assisted devices (e.g., motorized wheelchairs); hence, it is recommended to include misters near splash pads. This allows more users to enjoy water activities and cooling, especially on a hot day! Misters and other water features also provide a tactual sensory experience.
Multi-Generational Spaces
Create areas where parents, caregivers, and grandparents can engage in play alongside their children, promoting family interaction and community bonding. In addition, safety is increased with multi-generational features as caregivers can easily care for their children. This is especially important as the Town of Aurora if home to many seniors with mobility impairments. See below for some multi-generational feature examples.
Picnic Tables: Shaded picnic tables and seating areas where families can gather, have a meal, or take a break from play activities. Please see the Picnic Tables subsection for further details.
Interactive Games: Interactive panels placed at a suitable height on ground level are good for both children and adults to enjoy together.
Outdoor Fitness Equipment: Low-impact exercise equipment, such as stationary bikes, cross-trainers, and rowers, are suitable for both adults and older children.
Paths of Travel: Paved walking paths that cater to strollers, walkers, and wheelchairs, provide opportunities for exercise and socializing.
Park Emenities
Outside of the playground, there are some accessibility considerations for the general park in which the playground is situated. Making a park more accessible makes it easier for users to visit and prolong their stay. This not only promotes inclusive play, but also increases the park’s general accessibility.
Parking
An important feature of any facility is its parking. Accessible parking should be provided for playgrounds that meet accessibility standards. It is recommended to go above minimum requirements if the park/playground has additional inclusive features such as ramps or a wheel-on swing.
In the case where a park shares a parking lot with another facility, there should be dedicated barrier-free parking for each facility. For instance, the barrier-free parking for the Aurora Family Leisure Complex (AFLC) should not count as the barrier-free parking for Lambert Wilson Park.
Washroom Facilities
Where washrooms are provided in a park, barrier-free washrooms should be included to meet accessibility standards. It is recommended to include adult change tables in barrier-free washrooms; especially when a park includes water features.
Picnic Tables
Where Picnic tables are provided, it is recommended that they are accessible with wheel-up ends. It is also important to provide signage for these features to help users find accessible places to eat.
Charging Stations
A good feature to add into parks is to provide outdoor charging stations for mobility aids and other devices. This allows users to prolong their stay at The Town’s facilities.
Weather Considerations
To make sure a playground stays inclusive, there are some weather considerations that should be implemented regarding the following weather conditions.
Sunlight and Heat
As parks are commonly used in hot summers, heat must be taken into consideration to help prevent heat-related health complications, especially for those sensitive to heat. See what sun and heat protection features can be implemented below.
Shade Structures: Shade structures can be a good way to cool down. These should be provided with an accessible pathway leading to it. It is also recommended to provide furniture (e.g., picnic benches) below these structures.
Natural Shade: Trees can be an excellent way to provide shade.
Colouring: As dark colours can heat to dangerous temperatures, light colours are recommended for outdoor use.
Water Play: Features like a splash pad help users cool down on a hot day. It is recommended to include a mister into water play to include more users.
Rain
Precipitation can prevent a barrier in a park. It is therefore recommended that the considerations below be implemented.
Shade Structures: Shade Structures can also be used as rain shelters. Be sure that these have a solid roof with proper drainage.
Surfaces: When it comes to surfaces, there are two considerations:
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Make sure that the surface procured is not slippery when wet.
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Ensure that all surfaces can drain properly without impeding on slope accessibility requirements.
Landscaping
Considerations regarding landscaping and natural elements are an important part of the park planning process. Please see some inclusive landscaping considerations below.
Tree Selection
Choose a variety of tree species that are well-suited to Aurora's climate and soil conditions. Select trees with diverse characteristics such as size, leaf shape, and color to create visual sensory stimulation.
When planting trees, it is important to consider the impact on accessibility of their: brunches, leaves, roots, and food produced.
It is also important to consider their mature size and spacing to ensure they don't obstruct paths of travel.
Fields
It is always great to incorporate a field into a park for unstructured play. To ensure it inclusive, it is important to:
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Have it been able to drain properly without impeding on accessible slope requirements;
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Ensure that it is well maintained without unexpected bumps; and,
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Provide a clear sightline of the field from all angles for supervision.
Barriers
Thorned bushes are traditionally used to deter children for danger zones (e.g., streets). However, these can cause an issue for object (e.g., ball) retrieval. It is therefore recommended to use dense soft bushes, fencing, or walls for barriers.
Where fencing or walls are provided it is important that they are durable and difficult to climb. These features can also double as play features where it is safe to do so.
Wayfinding
To ensure users can navigate around a park, it is important to incorporate accessible wayfinding features. Proper contrasts and signage can help everyone find their way around. Where signage is provided, it is crucial that it meets accessibility requirements including having brail translations.
Accessible Features
In addition to the equipment mentioned above, there are other even more accessible features that can be included into a playground. These features are recommended for playgrounds that are advertised as accessible such as the new playground for Town Park.
It is recommended that a goal be set for an accessible park built in Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast Aurora. This ensures that no one has to cross Younge St. or Wellington St. (major streets) to access inclusive play.
Ramps
Playgrounds that have ramps are especially inclusive as they allow children to go on the play structure with mobility devices. Of course, these features must follow ramp requirements for accessibility standards. Where ramps are provided, it is important to ensure that all parts of the play structure meet requirements for accessible paths of travel.
Inclusive marry-go-rounds
Another fun way to include everyone in play is through inclusive marry-go-rounds! Products like a We-Go-Round® (see figure below) are wheelchair accessible spinning platforms. These allow everyone to experience rotational movement and work together while playing.
We-Go-Round® (“We-Go-Round® - Inclusive Merry-Go-Round,” n.d.)
Inclusive Slides
Slides are a fun piece of equipment to incorporate vestibular stimulation into a playground. However, they are some considerations to make them accessible, including:
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Ensure they are made of static-free material(s). Roller or stainless-steel slides protect those with external medical devices from static electricity.
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Provide a wide variety of slides for those who prefer different types of slides of different heights.
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A transfer bench at the bottom of slides can help caregivers transfer a person from the slide to a wheelchair. This feature can be molded as part of a slide or an added-on feature.
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The top of the slide is on an accessible path of travel with ramps.
Wheel on Swings
Another great way to include everyone in collaborative play is by using a wheel-on swing. We-Go-Swing® No-Transfer Inclusive Swing offers swinging platforms with benches/wheelchair spots and a ramp leading up to it that users can swing back and forth. This can also encourage multi-generational play.
We-Go-Swing® (“Breaking Barriers with the First No-Transfer Inclusive Swing,” 2021)
References (APA 7)
Boutique Playground Design & Installation. (n.d.). Play and Park Structures. https://www.playandpark.com/
Breaking Barriers with the First No-Transfer Inclusive Swing. (2021). National Association of Elementary School Principals, 44(9). https://www.naesp.org/resource/breaking-barriers-with-the-first-no-transfer-inclusive-swing/
Ross, T., Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K., Kanics, I., & Jennifer, L. (2022). Inclusive Play Guideline: Inclusive Play Guideline. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitaion Hospital. https://hollandbloorview.ca/research-education/bloorview-research-institute/research-centres-labs/epic-lab-inclusive
We-Go-Round®—Inclusive merry-go-round. (n.d.). Lancape Structures. https://www.playlsi.com/en/ad/we-go-round/