Home
Resource
Empowerment in the playground: planning for inclusive interaction and barrier elimination for children with Down Syndrome
PDF
PDF format is widely accepted and good for printing.
Plug-in required
PDF-1(11.97 MB)
Citation & Export
View Usage Statistics
Staff View

Citation & Export
Hide

Simple citation

London, Jolean Elora. Empowerment in the playground: planning for inclusive interaction and barrier elimination for children with Down Syndrome. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-dg5f-g654

Export

Click here for information about Citation Management Tools at Rutgers.

Statistics
Hide

Description

TitleEmpowerment in the playground: planning for inclusive interaction and barrier elimination for children with Down Syndrome
NameLondon, Jolean Elora (author); Alomar, Richard (chair); Lawson, Laura (member); Bartolone, Richard (member); Randolph, Lauren (member); Rutgers University; School of Graduate Studies
Date Created2022
Other Date2022-01 (degree)
SubjectLandscape architecture, Developmental disabilities, Down syndrome, Inclusivity, Landscape architecture, Playground, Recreational design
Extent59 pages : illustrations
DescriptionThis thesis was inspired by a playful childlike imagination as well as the desire to provide enjoyment for children of all abilities in outdoor recreational settings.Playgrounds are places where children have the opportunity to explore their capabilities, challenge themselves, and form relationships with others. Whether through physical or social interactions, all children deserve to create fun memories and explore the dimensions of play that provide benefits to both the mind and body.

The goal of this thesis was to plan for inclusive interaction and barrier elimination for children with Down Syndrome. The notion of free and fearless fun was created to embody the experience of children playing in a space without judgement, fear, or prejudice from peers. Children are all unique and should be provided the tools to aid in their social experience with others.

To get a nuanced perspective on how to create inclusion in all populations, this project included interviews with designers, landscape architects, occupational therapists, and playground specialists. Along with these interviews, surveys and conversations with parents were also conducted to obtain the perspective of the parents’ concerns. These concerns aided in the recommendations of six inclusion solutions. The solutions were supported by information furnished by a literature review, psychology coursework, and the analysis of New Jersey playgrounds as case studies.

Considering the viewpoints of different people, while keeping the child’s needs in the foreground, these perspectives were applied to both traditional equipment and their current day inclusive counterparts to understand how they can be improved. This meant studying whether they were designed for inclusive, ADA, or universal purposes. As a result of these studies of past and present playgrounds through the eyes of an extensive group of people, the theory that playgrounds can benefit children with Down Syndrome both physically and psychologically was demonstrated through the inclusion solutions.
NoteM.L.A.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-dg5f-g654
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
Version 8.5.5
Rutgers University Libraries - Copyright ©2024