Criteria of play equipment of inclusive playground for children with disabilities / Raja Mohd Aizat Akhmal Raja Mohd Rozuan

All children including children with disabilities have the rights to experience of play towards their development. However, nowadays they often face problems at public playgrounds due to the lack of ample provisions and equipment to cater their special needs. In Malaysia, there had been lack of studies on the needs of play equipment for children with disabilities. Play equipment in Inclusive playground is be designed as tools that can be enjoy to all children to play together safely. The challenge ahead for Malaysia is to transform its approach from a welfare perspective to human rights. Based on the hurdles, the research aim is highlighted to suggest best practice criteria of play equipment of inclusive playground for children with disabilities to support their recreational activities. This research based on data obtained from non-participant observation to the play equipment of pilot project‘s inclusive playground in Malaysia and distribution of questionnaires survey to parents and caretaker that bring their children with physical disabilities to neighbourhood playground in Selangor. Based on statistic by Social Welfare Department, Selangor has been recorded as the highest numbers of children of physical disabilities in 2020. The result shown that the criteria of play equipment on inclusive playground in Penang, Petaling Jaya and Bandar Elmina are acceptable as referred to the guidelines from USA, Australia and Singapore. There are five main criteria can considered as best criteria of play equipment based on perspective by respondents, such as accessibility, proper height, sufficient space, reachable of play equipment, safety features of play equipment are assigned as best practice in providing a friendly, accessible and safe playground equipment for children with disabilities. It is hoped that this research can assist the local authority and the playground’s provider to influence the inclusiveness element in the playground in order to attract every child including the ones with disabilities to play together on the neighbourhood playground.