Children's Play for those with Activity Limitations

Ramon Silva de Carvalho, Architect, Master Candidate on Architecture, Pro-Access Group - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Regina Cohen, Architect, Master on Urbanism and PhD candidate, Pro-Access Group - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cristiane Rose Duarte, Titular Professor; Architect, Territorial Planning DSc, Pro-Access Group - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Introduction

There is a group of children that is not able to develop the same regular aptness - physically, mentally and sensorially speaking. In this way, we know children's development varies from child to child according to some physical traits, heritable characteristics and social/cultural situation.

However, there are some talents and abilities naturally developed throughout the years that can be taken as conductors of a child's building up process. The encouragement of these physical and intellectual activities enables the improvement of this process and stimulates children's act of socializing with their similars and adults.

It is not different when we take into consideration children with special needs (CSN): if they are stimulated to dwell with "normal" kids and readily interact with others, the development process is certainly acquired in a smooth and pleasant way.

In the experiences comprehending CSN we observe they usually have no prejudice against other children and naturally behave with the differences. Then, we understand the encouragement to socialize with various children's groups in public areas of the city is a profitable leading action for reducing the level of prejudice against others and culturally/socially including CSN in the process of socialization - usually common for those with no restrictions and/or limitations.

The aim of our proposal is to make children into a whole in all their ludic activities - be them children with special needs or not - through the offering of accessible rides that may gather the greater diversity of children that is possible.

The Situation

In 1998, after having structured their actions in research, teaching and design on inclusive architecture and urbanism, the architects Cristiane Rose DUARTE, PhD. and Regina COHEN, MSc., started to run "Núcleo Pró-acesso" (Bureau of Research, Teaching and Planning on Accessibility and Universal Design) which has been progressively improving its activities. "Núcleo Pró-acesso" works in association with the Post-graduation Program in Architecture (PROARQ) in the Architecture and Urbanism Course of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), searching for the social-spatial integration of people with mobility difficulty and the encouragement of awareness towards the importance of universal design - as an agent that restrains any kind of barriers to accessibility - among undergraduate students, researchers and design professionals.

As we suggest the development of "prototypes of rides that will socially include children" we refer to the necessity of extirpating one of the most cruel kinds of seclusion in our society: the exclusion of children with any physical, sensorial and/or mental disability. In Brazil, the results of 2000 IBGE Yearly-Rent show that 24,5 million people (14,5% of the total population) have some kind of deficiency or disability. These are people with, at least, a kind of problem to see, hear, move or physically and mentally interact with society.

We know some Brazilian cities are not able to shelter all those physical differences that may separate people. Consequently, the lack of sociability within differences tends towards the endurance of prejudice and the situation of exclusion that many of the people with mobility difficulty (PMD) face in our country. In this way, if we assume the idea that spaces have also, besides other characteristics, a social function, we conclude that a sustainable policy must be a product of a social policy in which accessibility may restore equality and conduct to citizenship.

In relation to children, we verified many parents contribute with the solidification of this prejudice once, trying "to protect their children from discrimination," they end up tearing their children apart from the social living and make perpetual the circle of the culture of exclusion. On the other side, parents of "normal" children usually avoid socialization and the encounter of these children with diversity. In certain cases, they even morally suggest that the child with mobility difficulty has an infectious disease.

In this way - starting from the fact that every children's play has the function of socializing children; that rides allow children with special needs to know their bodies better, to aggregate spatial notions, to develop harmony and improve their self-respect and emotional safety; and that children's plays in public plazas and parks stimulate a social/cultural inter-relation among children's families - this project seeks for the concept of living without prejudice against others, typically found in children's plays, as well as in the social role of the Public Plaza.

Objectives

Main Objective

To encourage socialization among different children, in public areas of the city, in order to reduce prejudice and socially/culturally integrate people with mobility difficulty in the net of citizenship and Brazilian social development.

Specific Objectives

To develop prototypes of rides that will be used by a great number of children - including the ones with mobility difficulty;

To develop a pilot plan of a totally accessible plaza, taking into account different urban public plaza users' aptitudes, necessities, wishes and expectations (including the use of ramps, large access-ways, guide-pavings and alert pavement for people with visual disability, correct and instructive landscape design, etc.). The "anchor" of this project are the rides themselves.

Methodology

As we understand the beneficiaries of this project are not only children with some physical, mental or sensorial disability and their families but also society in a whole, we outline the importance of users' participation and interaction in the planning of the design guidelines.

According to that, the methodology is based on:

defining parameters for each kind of disability according to a scientific research aided by children and parents' associations reports;
making design guidelines for children's rides so as they can be used by a great number of children with or without any motor, metal ou sensorial disability;
planning a totally accessible plaza (including the use of ramps, large access-ways, guide-pavings and alert pavement for people with visual disability, correct and instructive landscape design, etc.) in which rides are the main attraction for users - children with special needs.
building the prototypes of rides;
management and assessment of results, made in association with organizations and directories related to people with special needs so as to try out the efficiency of the prototypes and to encourage suggestions for possible design adjustments before the conclusion (this one will be made through a Post-occupancy evaluation - POE).

Interaction with Others

Getting in contact with future beneficiaries - children with special needs - is of fundamental importance in order to show us a spatial reality that we only know through instinctive knowledge.

Those children's vision and feelings significantly contribute with the creation of essential parameters in the making of design guidelines, and of course, also the feelings of people who support the development of those children's daily activities.

The statements collected from CSN and their supporters are important in the way of making us understand the psycho-motor consequences a certain kind of disability may produce (that is, in our opinion, fundamental for the design planning). It also allows us to interpret children's wishes and aspirations so as to offer a greater quality of interaction with the world and participation in the process of socialization.

It is worth mentioning the valuable co-operation of institutions related to people with mobility difficulty and parents' associations. Together with kids, these institutions are responsible for the identification of their aspirations, needs and solutions for the design development. In the same way, those people are responsible for the assessment of prototypes and, above all, the instruction of necessary adjustments.

Joining Public and Private Spheres

The activities towards accessibility, speaking of Brazil, began with the first researches in the circuit of post-graduation courses in the 80s. Afterwards, "Núcleo Pró-acesso" was created, linking itself to PROARQ and UFRJ. The activities at "Núcleo Pró-acesso" have diversified in the last years, gathering nowadays from the elaboration of readjustment designs aiming the accessibility to historical buildings and sites to teaching, research and curricular activities.

As a pioneer enterprise in this field, this group arose the interest of public segments in the country since its release four years ago. At that time, the board-members of "Parks and Gardens Foundation," "Municipal Bureau of Environment" and the "Town Hall of the city of Rio de Janeiro" sponsored the idea with abundant excitement. However, the administrative changes in the Directories and the Executive Power of the country did not allow the procedure of the concordat.

Despite the lack of support, "Núcleo Pró-acesso" proceeded on his development of technology for the construction of accessible rides, with lower speed but the same enthusiasm. The group always paid much attention to some important indicators: safety, reduced necessity of maintenance, low cost and educational/ergonomic factors.

By means of that and because of the difficulties faced when implementing this proposal in Rio de Janeiro, we hereby suggest two alternative options in order to accomplish this project:

The Town Hall of the city of Rio de Janeiro would provide capital for the construction of the first accessible plaza in the city and, after a POE and the necessary adjustments, private companies would be invited to join this partnership ¹. In this way, the execution and maintenance costs would be in straight responsibility of the company; in return, the advertisement of its trademark would be placed on features and rides of that plaza. This partnership between public-private spheres would certainly help both sectors and users.

Even without the implementation of this project in the city of Rio de Janeiro, the constant media spreading of the proposal would make other town halls get interested in making the project. As there are no restrictions in relation to regions or places for the location of the plaza, this project would certainly fit any other municipal districty.

Expected Results

The social impact of this project is unquestionable. However, it is a hard task to measure the economic impact of our proposal once quality of life is hardly quoted in financial terms.

Nevertheless, we may consider the expected results as:

to create a methodology of urban intervention for totally accessible plazas;
to develop technologies and methodologies for the making of rides that can be used by a great number of children, including those with special needs;
to improve the quality of life of CSN and the population in a whole, stimulating the socialization of these children in the urban places of Brazilian cities;
to awaken urban planners for the necessity of development of projects that gather concepts of accessibility and Universal Design - which promote immediate positive impacts in the city;
to develop methodologies for the diffusion of actions potentially ready to behaviorally change society.

When we speak of accessibility and Universal Design, we understand that beyond worrying about the elimination of urban barriers, we shall think of inclusive space as the one that allows PMDs and children with special needs to experience spaces.

This pioneer project of "rides for every children" brings a multiplying power inwards and will effectively influence other spaces in Brazil. The dwelling with the difference has the power of enriching the inter-relation of citizens and generating new ways of improving citizenship, as one said, "It is by playing that we melt the difference."

Notes:

1. This partnership is effective in some áreas of the city of Rio de Janeiro; a private company "adopts" a public pocket-plaza and starts its maintenance as the public institutions spread the company's name in advertisements placed on the urban equipment of that plaza, in return.

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