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Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/25

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Author: search.filters.author.Morgenthaler, ThomasSubject: search.filters.subject.Participation

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    Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2025-02-03) Orain, Clémence; Morgenthaler, Thomas; Schulze, Christina
    Background Children’s right to play remains underexplored in French mainstream schools. France’s inclusive education policies aim to include children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, but this transition can create challenges hindering meaningful play opportunities. This highlights the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of children’s experiences of play in school playgrounds. Aim This study explores children with disabilities’ experiences and perspectives on their outdoor play in French mainstream school playgrounds. Material and Methods Walking and Talking tour interviews were conducted with thirteen children with various disabilities across six mainstream schools in western France. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results (1) ‘I can(not) play’: Environmental Barriers and Opportunities; (2) ‘I have an idea’: Children’s Preferences for Enriching Play and Inclusion; (3) ‘Learn to Hear Me Out’: Strengthening Children’s Participation in Everyday School Practices including Playground Redesign. Conclusions and Significance This study highlights the barriers children with disabilities face in French mainstream school playgrounds. It emphasises the need for collaborative co-design to create inclusive and playful environments. Findings have implications for occupational science, inclusive education, school-based occupational therapy, and urban design. Future participatory research should explore the co-design of school playgrounds, involving all relevant stakeholders.
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    Environmental Qualities That Enhance Outdoor Play in Community Playgrounds from the Perspective of Children with and without Disabilities: A Scoping Review
    (MDPI, 2023-01-18) Morgenthaler, Thomas; Schulze, Christina; Pentland, Duncan; Lynch, Helen
    For children, playgrounds are important environments. However, children’s perspectives are often not acknowledged in playground provision, design, and evaluation. This scoping review aimed to summarize the users’ (children with and without disabilities) perspectives on environmental qualities that enhance their play experiences in community playgrounds. Published peer-reviewed studies were systematically searched in seven databases from disciplines of architecture, education, health, and social sciences; 2905 studies were screened, and the last search was performed in January 2023. Included studies (N = 51) were charted, and a qualitative content analysis was conducted. Five themes were formed which provided insights into how both physical and social environmental qualities combined provide for maximum play value in outdoor play experiences. These multifaceted play experiences included the desire for fun, challenge, and intense play, the wish to self-direct play, and the value of playing alone as well as with known people and animals. Fundamentally, children wished for playgrounds to be children’s places that were welcoming, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. The results are discussed in respect to social, physical, and atmospheric environmental affordances and the adult’s role in playground provision. This scoping review represents the valuable insights of children regardless of abilities and informs about how to maximise outdoor play experiences for all children.