Research and social listening for the design of an educational playground, accessible and sustainable

Abstract

In Madrid there are more than 25,000 children with disabilities (Comunidad de Madrid, 2019), who, like all children, seek to find their place in the world, have fun and grow up happy. In addition to the problems they face due to discrimination and the non-inclusion promoted by the lack of normalization of the diversity and acceptance of children with special needs, it is society with its constructions that creates the greatest barriers. Architectural structures are not designed for everyone, making socialization even more difficult. An example of this, and what we’re going to focus on for its high impact on child development, are playgrounds. Taking into account Law 26/2015: “Minors have the right to always participate fully in the social, cultural, artistic and recreational life of their environment", so it follows that all children’s play areas should be adapted to all types of disabilities, giving rise to accessible recreational areas, but this differs greatly from the reality we face. Given the large number of children and families who cannot enjoy playgrounds, and the need to create sustainable spaces in cities that improve people’s lives, it is decided to focus the project on carrying out research that will guide us towards the design of an educational playground, accessible and sustainable.