The recent Children’s Commissioner’s report titled ‘Disabled Children’s Access to Play and Activities’ has found that disabled children “want to play locally, alongside other children, but too many places are inaccessible, poorly maintained or simply not designed with them in mind”.
References to sport and physical activity include:
- A lack of accessible and affordable (including cost of travel / lost income from parents attending) after school and holiday activities.
- A lack of local, accessible parks and playgrounds. Including access routes, fencing and gates, appropriate equipment (e.g. wheelchair swings and slides, communication boards), being in good condition and being clean and tidy. NB. A Scope project in 2023 found a mixed picture of playgrounds – meaning disabled children could often not use the same local facilities as friends and siblings.
The report calls for: “…clear delivery and accountability structures at local level for ensuring there are enough playgrounds for children that are accessible. Local councils and ultimately Mayors should know how many playground there are in their area, what state the playgrounds are in, and their accessibility level. They should be held responsible for the building and improvement of playgrounds.”
Source: Disabled children are being denied equal access to play | Play England