Play for Change: Primary School for Children with Impairments

<p>Within the architecture of education, there is a lack of attention to the needs of children with disability. Globally, one in every ten children have a disability and there are approximately 90,000 aged 0-14 children living in households who have at least one disability in New Zealand. The cohort is one of the most marginalised and excluded group from the society, resulting in an inability to participate in classes leading to fewer opportunities to develop skills, experience and confidence. School designs are designed for children without disability, and many children with disabilities find that classrooms and outdoor environments are ill-suited for their health needs, resulting in low attendance rates, poor peer engagement and limited educational success. This thesis explores the role of architecture in facilitating the education of children with disabilities. Working from research-led design through to design-led research, it examines architecture as an educational tool. Examining classroom spaces, outdoor play and outdoor learning environment for children with disabilities, it questions the purpose of education. In addition, the research aims to desensitise the perceived architectural barriers within primary school that restricts participation for children with disabilities. The architectural design knowledge aims to improve design approaches for inclusivity in school, pedagogy and outdoor play environments. By addressing this issue, it could potentially create more positive and optimistic views and from the wider community, greater disability awareness.</p>

Play for Change: Primary School for Children with Impairments

<p>Within the architecture of education, there is a lack of attention to the needs of children with disability. Globally, one in every ten children have a disability and there are approximately 90,000 aged 0-14 children living in households who have at least one disability in New Zealand. The cohort is one of the most marginalised and excluded group from the society, resulting in an inability to participate in classes leading to fewer opportunities to develop skills, experience and confidence. School designs are designed for children without disability, and many children with disabilities find that classrooms and outdoor environments are ill-suited for their health needs, resulting in low attendance rates, poor peer engagement and limited educational success. This thesis explores the role of architecture in facilitating the education of children with disabilities. Working from research-led design through to design-led research, it examines architecture as an educational tool. Examining classroom spaces, outdoor play and outdoor learning environment for children with disabilities, it questions the purpose of education. In addition, the research aims to desensitise the perceived architectural barriers within primary school that restricts participation for children with disabilities. The architectural design knowledge aims to improve design approaches for inclusivity in school, pedagogy and outdoor play environments. By addressing this issue, it could potentially create more positive and optimistic views and from the wider community, greater disability awareness.</p>

Adverse Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Movement and Play Behaviours of Children and Youth Living with Disabilities: Findings from the National Physical Activity Measurement (NPAM) Study

All children and youth require ample physical activity (PA), low levels of sedentary behaviour (SB), and adequate sleep to stay healthy. Children and youth living with disabilities (CYWD) tend to have fewer opportunities for participation in PA and outdoor play compared with their typically developing peers. In turn, CYWD are typically less active and more sedentary, on average, compared with their peers. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced opportunities for many children and youth to participate in PA and outdoor play. The purpose of this study was to assess parent-perceived changes in PA (including outdoor play), SB (including screen time), and sleep quality and quantity, due to COVID-19 and related restrictions, in a national cohort of Canadian CYWD. We recruited parents of school-aged CYWD (N = 151) in May 2020. In an online survey, parents reported their child’s previous 7-day PA, SB, and sleep, as well as perceived changes in their child’s movement and play behaviours due to COVID-19 and related restrictions. Parent-perceived parental support for their child’s movement and play behaviours during the pandemic was also assessed. We used descriptive statistics to describe the child’s movement behaviours and assessed the association between movement behaviours and parental factors using Pearson and point-biserial correlations. Few (5.3%) CYWD met PA recommendations and 13.2% met screen time recommendations during the acute period of the COVID-19 pandemic. More CYWD (66.2%) were meeting sleep recommendations. Overall, only 1.3% of CYWD were meeting the combined movement guidelines. Parent encouragement was positively associated with the child’s outdoor PA (0.23), wheeling, walking, and biking (0.19), indoor PA (0.16), and family-based PA (0.26). Parental co-play was similarly positively associated with the child’s outdoor PA (0.26), wheeling, walking, and biking (0.39), indoor PA (0.16), and family-based PA (0.26). Parents perceived their CYWD to be less active and more sedentary as a result of COVID-19 and the related restrictions. Parents of CYWD have an important role in encouraging healthy movement behaviours. Return to movement and play post-COVID guidelines should include tailored strategies for CYWD and their families to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic.