UNICEF Built An Inclusive Playground That Welcomes Disabled Kids In Refugee Camp
Video screenshot via UNICEF
At the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan, children in wheelchairs can be seen playing on a seesaw alongside abled kids.
A playground installed by UNICEF and humanitarian group Mercy Corps at the settlement in 2018 brings children—with and without disabilities—together so they can all play in the same space, and no child feels excluded.
30% of the camp’s occupants have physical or intellectual disabilities, according to UNICEF. But those differences dissipate in this playground, where every child’s right to play and learn is equally respected.
The playground is fully supervised, and consists of a swing, merry-go-round, seesaw, and play complex that are all wheelchair-friendly.
For users with sensory disabilities, the site is also installed with creative equipment like a loudspeaker and xylophone to engage their interaction skills.
A trampoline, sandpit, and bean bag are also available for children with autism.
UNICEF designed the space as a blueprint to inspire more inclusive playgrounds around the world.
One such facility in Malaysia incorporates natural elements from the surroundings for sensory play, including smooth rocks and flattened timber logs for climbing.
It goes without saying that the playground in Jordan has been quite popular with the children. “Many times you have the feeling it was their first time to be playing [with] such facilities,” Robert Jenkins, a UNICEF representative in Jordan, told Mashable back in 2018.
[via Mashable on Twitter and UNICEF, video and images via UNICEF]
