Case history
“Partner states shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of equal opportunities for recreation and leisure activities”.
Article 31 recognizes the rights of the child to engage in play, and Article 2 states that there should be no discrimination of children regardless of their disability. There is a legal and moral duty in all of us to ensure that every child, regardless of ability, can reach his or her potential through a challenge that includes awareness of risk and danger. This is accomplished by creating inclusive play spaces. The alternative is the unfair and undesirable exclusion that affects children with disabilities and their families, first in play and later in life.
The production of “Legnoland” has many virtuous aspects:
We created this project to name our desire to create inclusive playgrounds, where children with autism or disabilities and others can play together regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities.
Non esiste oggi in Italia una normativa di riferimento applicabile ai parchi inclusivi!
Soltanto il 5% dei parchi gioco è accessibile.
Le uniche iniziative in merito sono in ambito internazionale da parte del CEN (European Committee for Standardization) e della FEPI (Federation European Play Industry) di cui Legnolandia è componente attivo.
Lo scopo del progetto del Centro Europeo per la Standardizzazione (CEN), è quello di integrare parametri di accessibilità ed inclusione nelle norma EN-1176 che riguarda la sicurezza dei parchi gioco, al fine di renderli sicuri e accessibili a tutti.
In questa situazione di incertezza Legnolandia ha scelto di basare lo sviluppo delle proprie aree gioco, e dei relativi elementi che la compongono, seguendo quelle che oggi sono le uniche linee guida ufficiali e di riferimento europeo per garantire una attività ludica inclusiva e sicura per tutti i bambini.
Per questo NON amiamo giochi ghettizzanti, dove bambini disabili affiancati solo dai loro genitori non possono avere una vera esperienza di inclusione.
L’invito per chi vuole dotarsi di un parco giochi inclusivo é quello di seguire queste linee guida redatte a seguito di studi e raccolta dati statistici ufficiali coinvolgendo scuole, istituti sanitari, genitori, aziende e municipalità di tutta Europa.
An inclusive play area is a space where all children can play, move and have fun safely while interacting with each other. Individual playgrounds are designed to provide the opportunity for independent use by most children with motor, sensory (sight-hearing), cognitive, and autism disabilities.
Inclusive playgrounds and playgrounds for children with autism should have no architectural barriers so access ramps, paths suitable for the visually impaired, tactile paths, raised pools for horticulture, double-track slides are created, all designed to allow the little ones, whatever his condition, to play and learn together with their friends, siblings and parents.
So in an inclusive park not everything will be accessible to everyone. It is inevitable that some equipment or parts of it will be specifically designed not to be accessible to certain groups of children, for example for those whose age or height might pose certain risks. Children and families know this.
Wheelchairs for the disabled: Unfortunately, the absence of clear legislation in this area has created a flourishing of initiatives and “experts” who market “special” products. The classic example is the swing to be used only while sitting in a wheelchair, placed in a playground, with nothing else actually accessible. It is no guarantee of inclusion and no guarantee of safety so Legnolandia does not identify with this type of design and equipment because it is discriminatory and unsafe.
The right choice of inclusive tools to include and not divide
There are children whose disabilities are very profound or complex, those who have sensory disabilities so they cannot hear or see well, or those who have learning disabilities despite not having physical limitations. Appropriate study makes it possible to design an inclusive play area that allows children with disabilities to access play spaces together with everyone, helping them and families build relationships and promote social inclusion.
Altalena utilizzabile esclusivamente da utenti su sedia a rotelle e uno alla volta. Gioco NON inclusivo e pericoloso se utilizzato da bambini NON disabili. È necessario vietare l’utilizzo senza sedia a rotelle.
Altalena dotata di grande cestone a nido orizzontale oppure “a seggiolone” per il gioco inclusivo di più bambini assieme. Progettato secondo le direttive europee sul gioco inclusivo, per divertire senza dividere. Art. 011250-S1 Altalena Cestone.
It is necessary to ensure mobility within Playgrounds and ideally the entire play area should be paved, but this is not always possible for various reasons. In these cases, it is necessary to intervene by creating paths that connect the games of the entire play area, paths that allow movement in an autonomous form. This is to ensure mobility for wheelchair users and path recognition for those who are visually impaired or blind.
Non applichiamo costi maggiori ai giochi inclusivi perché Legnolandia progetta seguendo le linee Guida Europee del CEN. Creando attrezzi e giochi inclusivi fin dalla loro progettazione non esiste la “versione disabili” e quindi non applichiamo maggiorazioni di costi. Possiamo garantire che un parco giochi inclusivo costa come un qualsiasi parco giochi.
Outdoor play offers therapeutic benefits for all: it is fun, helps keep children healthy, and promotes risk awareness, an important aspect of social and emotional construction. In the past, children with disabilities did not have the same play opportunities as other children, so there has been a lack of planning and design of inclusive public play spaces suitable for all. Today it is possible to provide barrier-free inclusive play spaces for even the most important citizens: children.
Con Village For All abbiamo progettato tre parchi gioco inclusivi selezionando le attrezzature più adatte alle esigenze dei bambini. I parchi ludici proposti possono così beneficiare del marchio “V4A Approved” che certifica la corrispondenza ai parametri di accessibilità inclusiva. Scopri di più
I bambini non accedono ai giochi tutti nello stesso modo ma tutti hanno il diritto di poter giocare. Per questo occorre una buona progettazione del parco gioco inclusivo, sia delle strutture ivi inserite che negli spazi attorno ad esse, nonché ai percorsi che li connettono. Giostrine senza barriere si devono integrare con arredi e le pavimentazioni devono essere facilmente percorribili con un passeggino o una carrozzina (sedia a rotelle).
Esempio Parco Inclusivo piccolosuperficie: circa 300 Mq. |
Esempio Parco Inclusivo mediosuperficie: circa 600 Mq. |
Esempio Parco Inclusivo grandesuperficie: circa 1000 Mq. |
First of all, specific skills and great experience are needed!
F.E.P.I. (Federation of the European Play Industry) for many years has been closely following the issue of games for children with disabilities by applying the CEN European Guidelines. The research activity is very important and consists of the collection and analysis of reports in the European context and the exchange in a Network created among Companies, Onlus in the sector, Institutions, Parents, Schools and Childhood experts.
Legnolandia, a historical component of F.E.P.I. knows very well what are the “barriers” that block access to activities for children with disabilities, with different types of disabilities and for this, adopting the European guidelines to design facilities adapted to the needs and abilities of all children, enhancing those residual skills/abilities without focusing only on the type of disability.
The result is a full range of inclusive, educational and fun playgrounds that provide equal opportunities for children through restyling, instruction and practical advice on use. In designing an inclusive park, much attention should be given to the space as a whole: the equipment, access routes, and surfaces by incorporating as many activities as possible following F.E.P.I. guidelines.
Legnolandia offre consulenza gratuita dei parchi inclusivi secondo le linee guida del CEN.
