Come Play...Exploring the Playground Experience for People who have Blindness and Low Vision

Play is one of the inherent rights of children across the world. Play positively contributes to all aspects of a child’s development and brings a deep sense of connectedness and wellbeing for the child and their family. Australia has long recognized the importance of inclusion through foundational policies such as the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) and the National Disability Strategy (2010–2020). However, while the legislative intent is clear, significant gaps remain in translating these ambitions into tangible, accessible environments for children with disabilities. Although some advances have been made to address the physical barriers to play, the same progress has not been seen in purposeful design to include people with blindness and low vision (BLV) and their families. This research project aims to understand what is currently happening around the world in this area, to determine how increased inclusion and accessibility could enhance the lives of children with BLV. This paper provides an overview of an Australian project that is exploring how access to playgrounds can be improved for children with BLV by learning about playgrounds through audits and the user experience.