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Godkänd; 2016; 20160629 (andbra)

Godkänd; 2016; 20160629 (andbra)

Godkänd; 2016; 20160629 (andbra)

Godkänd; 2014; 20141014 (andbra)

Godkänd; 2013; 20130926 (danahl) Seende rullstol

Godkänd; 2012; 20121130 (andbra)

Godkänd; 2011; 20110628 (andbra)

Godkänd; 2011; 20110428 (andbra)

Studies have identified barriers in the physical environment causing restricted participation in play activities for children with disabilities. Therefore, was the overall aim of this thesis to identify and explore aspects of playground accessibility and usability for children with disabilities based on the experiences of children, parents and professionals. The design of the thesis includes four studies examining different aspects of playground accessibility and usability. Data were collected in Study I through interviews with creators of playgrounds (i.e., persons in a municipality responsible for playgrounds), and with users of playgrounds (i.e., children with restricted mobility, and adults that accompany the children to playgrounds). Data in Study II were collected using a questionnaire completed by persons responsible for playgrounds in 41 municipalities of northern Sweden. In Study III, data were collected through interviews of children with different abilities and in Study IV parents of children with disabilities were interviewed regarding playground design. Data from the interviews were analysed qualitatively while data from the questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results of the studies showed that persons responsible for playgrounds have not always considered accessibility for children with disabilities. In fact, many of them had never thought about the issue and also expressed a lack of knowledge needed for building accessible playgrounds (I, II). Further, based on children’s experience, playgrounds are important environments for all children, but these are not accessible and usable for all (III). According to the parents, playgrounds do not support play or social interaction for children with disabilities and the design of most playgrounds made their children dependent on adult support. This in turn limited contact with peers and causing the children a sense of being different (IV). To conclude, the results showed that playgrounds are not an accessible or usable environment for many children with disabilities in Sweden. This has affected children with disabilities in negative ways that in turn can cause play deprivation, dependency and stigmatization. The results also indicated that there seems to be lack of awareness regarding children’s rights in society and legislation that governs playgrounds.

Startdatum: 21/09/2005; Slutdatum: 22/09/2005; Roll: Föreläsare; Typ: Föreläsning / muntligt bidrag

The general aim of this licentiate thesis was to explore the accessibility to different environments for children with restricted mobility, from the children's own point of view. The environments explored were the home, the school and playgrounds. With Bronfenbrenners theory "the Ecology of Human Development" as the main theoretical frame of reference the ambition was to see how both physical and social accessibility in different environments, could affect children with restricted mobility. The thesis includes four substudies. In study one the purpose was to investigate how children with restricted mobility perceive their home environment. The investigated group who responded to the questionnaire consisted of 82 children. The results showed that the children perceived the accessibility of the physical environment in their homes as relatively good. Problems of accessibility in the physical environment were most obvious in the setting outside the home. As regards the social environment, the results were polarised. One third of the children had peer contacts in the home several times a week, while one third had peer contacts in the home only once a month or less. In study two the purpose was to describe how pupils with restricted mobility themselves perceive their school environment. Ten pupils were interviewed. The results showed that even though the interviewed pupils consider that the indoor school environment was generally satisfactory, it still lead to the pupils being excluded from certain contexts, both teaching and play contexts. Problems with physical accessibility lead to that the pupils lost valuable opportunities for contacts and relations with friends; i.e. shortcomings in the physical environment had social consequences. In study three the purpose was to explore the attitudes to accessibility problems in playgrounds among two groups of key persons: "creators" and "users of playgrounds" in a mediumsized municipality in northern Sweden. The results showed that those who created playgrounds had 1) a fragmented organisation, 2) insufficient knowledge of disabilities, 3) poor economy and 4) attitudes as an obstacle. Interviews with the users of the playgrounds showed that 1) the playground is not for me (i.e. for children with restricted mobility) and 2) assistance is a precondition for accessibility. In study four the purpose was to investigate the accessibility of playgrounds to children with restricted mobility in the northern half of Sweden. When compiling the answers it appeared that only two of the total number of playgrounds were considered by the municipalities to be completely adapted for children with restricted mobility and that 46 playgrounds were partially adapted for them. Godkänd; 2001; 20070314 (ysko)

In this poster session two research projects of P4Play in the area of practice are described. Introduction: The P4Play Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSC) Training Network is an innovative European Joint Doctorate (EJD) programme in Occupational Science for Occupational Therapists. This EJD was established in 2020 when 2.2 m was awarded to a consortium of researchers and play advocates, in the highly competitive Horizon2020 scheme. P4play is a collaboration between 4 academic universities in Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, and Switzerland, and 15 partner organisations in Europe and the USA. The P4play programme adopts a child's rights-based perspective and aims to investigate the nature of play through the lens of People, Place, Policy and Practice (P4Play). Background: After extensive scientific research, scholarly exploration, and discourse on play, a refocus on play as a right requires further study as a central concern (or occupation) in children's lives. Occupational Science, a science dedicated to the study of humans as doers or as occupational beings, offers a unique lens to explore play as an occupation. From this perspective, the P4Play proposal was developed and submitted for funding to the MSC programme, in 2019 and was successful on first submission. P4play intends to amplify children's voices and explore the intersectionality of diverse childhood experiences of play, within families, communities, and cultures, drawing from pragmatism, complexity theories, childhood studies and anthropology among others. Methods: The P4Play research programme has employed 8 early-stage researchers dedicated to exploring the complex and situated nature of play, e.g., social-spatial inclusion, play deprivation, and policy. and the development of solutions to address barriers to play provision in diverse community settings. Eight PhD research projects are being designed and implemented to examine play from diverse perspectives and contexts, including roma/traveller communities, families of children with disabilities, seldom-heard children and communities of socioeconomic disadvantage. A unique aspect of this programme is the inclusion of 15 international partners with interests in the field of play. These partners are engaged in play advocacy, innovations, education, playground provision, grassroots support for play in communities, government policy, and science. Through the collaboration with these partners, the programme aligns with current play advocacy and policy initiatives, which strengthens the capacity to translate research outcomes to actionable steps. This research responds to the societal challenge of ensuring health, well-being and equality for children (UN Sustainable Goals 3 & 10). Expected outcomes aim to benefit children, families, and communities Outcomes: It is hoped that this research program will have a transdisciplinary impact beyond occupational therapy and occupational science. It aims to facilitate conversations in other areas of academics, inform educators, empower communities, and encourage policymakers to reduce or remove barriers to play for diverse communities, children, and families.