7 Principles of Inclusive Playgrounds

he Me2 program was developed to serve as an educational resource for communities that are planning, creating, or revitalizing outdoor play environments. Inclusive playgrounds make a fundamental statement about how communities value meaningful play experiences for people of all ages and abilities. The 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design™ create universally designed play environments that increase the “playability” for people of diverse abilities, age, race, gender, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status. Implementation of these best practice principles helps create a unique and meaningful play environment that is usable by more people, to the greatest extent possible.
Me2 Introduction
The Me2 program was developed to serve as an educational resource for communities that are planning, creating, or revitalizing outdoor play environments. Inclusive playgrounds make a fundamental statement about how communities value meaningful play experiences for people of all ages and abilities. The 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design™ create universally designed play environments that increase the “playability” for people of diverse abilities, age, race, gender, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status. Implementation of these best practice principles helps create a unique and meaningful play environment that is usable by more people, to the greatest extent possible.
The seven principles of Universal Design, originally created by the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, have been uniquely tailored to what all children want to feel and experience during outdoor play. No two universally designed play environment projects are alike, but in all play environments, children want to “Be” and feel fair, included, smart, independent, safe, active, and comfortable during play. The 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design focus on the usage of individual play elements as well as the overall playground environmental design. Both a physical and social event, inclusive play is not solely about physically accessing an environment, but what happens once an individual gets there. A truly inclusive and embracing play experience addresses the developmental needs of the whole child by intentionally providing opportunities for physical, cognitive, communicative, social/emotional, and sensory development.