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Our manufacturers, Richter Spielgeräte are just as passionate about accessibility as we are at Timberplay, and Julian Richter Sen, previous director of Richter Spielgeräte, partook in a fascinating interview about this subject.

“Mr Richter, inclusion is a human right and should allow everyone to participate in everything. This is also becoming an increasingly important aspect in playground design. How do you approach the topic of inclusion?

For me, inclusion is, in the broadest and most positive sense of the word, togetherness. We must cultivate respect for one another. We must not look at otherness in a pejorative and excluding way, but respect it – regardless of what otherness comprises, whether it’s physical, mental or emotional, ethnic or age differences. The idea of inclusion is so appealing because it is an attempt to reunite the deficiencies that are simply accepted from the effect of specialisation into a joint effort that includes everyone. The common ground takes on a different meaning if the togetherness is true interaction and not just parallel action.

What are the actual consequences of this for your work as a playground designer?

Basically, it is quite simple: we have to create an atmosphere of well-being. If we succeed in creating such a space, then (almost) everyone will feel comfortable there, whether tall, short, fat, thin, old, young, with or without a disability. Creating a playground with a good atmosphere is our highest goal during the planning process.

So a playground with a wheelchair carousel does not necessarily make an inclusive playground?

Well, some clients are already satisfied when they are offered something for wheelchair users. The playground is then barrier-free and the idea of inclusion has been dealt with. It is sad that wheelchair users are often used as an alibi. After all, the percentage of wheelchair users is small compared to people with other disabilities. Of course, wheelchair users should be able to get wherever they want to go. But it would be wrong to only focus on the wheelchair user. We should also think about other types of disabilities.

Is there the right playground equipment for every disability?

No. That's why providing special equipment, meaning barrier-free playground equipment, is rather secondary for us. We only use the individual functions of turning, rocking, sliding and climbing as small tools that contribute to a pleasant and suitable atmosphere. The aim of an inclusive playground is to offer all people with different abilities, skills and limitations a space in which they can act in a way that is self-determining in accordance with their own possibilities. In addition, people always use the same playground equipment in their own way and can thus use it to varying degrees. It would therefore be wrong to focus just on playground equipment.

Can you describe an example of this?

While one child may have plenty of fun in a wheelchair carousel, the rotation can have a very negative effect on a child with a mental disability. Or let’s take the wheelchair-accessible ramp as part of a piece of playground equipment. A child in a wheelchair who is mentally and physically disabled on several levels will not be able to drive up this ramp on their own. Blind people would need additional orientation aids while children with two healthy legs might miss the challenge when walking up the ramp. As you can see, the question of inclusion cannot be determined on the basis of individual play equipment.

Would you say that there is no such thing as a perfect inclusive playground with the perfect equipment?

From my point of view the answer is: no, there isn’t. I think the goal of offering everything for everyone on a playground cannot be achieved. For some people, the value of a playground can consist of passively taking part in what's going on. Namely when the disabilities are so severe that they would not be able to actively participate. In their case, it is wonderful if they can just be there and feel comfortable. Nevertheless, the approach must be: in principle, no one is excluded. We take into account the idea of inclusion in every step of our planning. If, the idea of “respecting otherness” I mentioned at the beginning is placed above all else, then bigger solutions that include more people will be realised.

What are the "bigger solutions"?

Basically, a playground should be built with as few barriers as possible to give access to as many different people as possible. If a playground is built suitable for prams, it is in principle already wheelchair accessible. But thinking further ahead, we should ask ourselves the question, what use is a swing in a public playground that is only suitable for wheelchair users? Let’s make the swing seat bigger, so that adults can also fit in and more people can swing. So when it comes to public playgrounds, the focus must always be on togetherness, and that is what we always keep in mind when planning.”

This enlightening interview is a good insight into Richter Spielgeräte and Timberplay’s accessibility values and we are constantly striving to improve playground design and knowledge to develop this ideology further.

Timberplay have recently been working alongside Gillian Scotford, founder of Accessible UK to work on our accessibility evolvement. Gillian Scotford (Previously Director at Access For All UK) is a parent of two severely disabled children and also a renowned and respected professional access consultant. Gillian founded Accessible UK to help people do accessibility right rather than to just check a box. Accessible UK, established in 2022, prides itself on expertise within Accessible Tourism, creating accessible destinations and training accessibility champions to spread the knowledge further. Gillian’s current aim is to make the UK the most accessible destination in Europe, ensuring that tourist zones, including playgrounds, meet the needs and expectations of disabled visitors.

As a business in the play industry, we feel it is essential to create welcoming, inclusive play spaces that are accessible to all and, with many of our play areas being known as tourist hotspots, we are eager to get involved in Accessible UK’s plan to make the UK the most accessible tourist destination.

By working with Accessible UK, Timberplay hope to improve our awareness of current accessibility issues within the play industry and brainstorm how we can combat those and develop inclusive play further within our playground designs.

We are proud of the work we have already done alongside Richter Spielgeräte to increase accessibility within our play spaces. Currently we have a diverse range of equipment that caters to all ages and abilities by depending on user movement. For example, the majority of our water play range will release more or less water depending on how much pressure and force you exert.

Similarly, we design play areas at a range of heights to comply to different needs. A recent project by Timberplay Scotland at The Burrell Collection incorporates a variety of low-level sand play which can be used by all ages.

Equipment involving elements such as sand play and water play offer creativity in how they are interacted with by individual users. For example, in the sand area, it may be the sand itself that incites the interest of some children, for others it may be the machinery aspect, for some it may be the creative aspect – the idea is that it is ultimately up to the user.

We also present specific wheelchair-friendly alternatives such as roundabouts, see saws and swings that can be used by the general public, whilst also offering the opportunity for individuals with motor disabilities to take part. As much as we love these products and we think they are essential in accessible playgrounds, we want to ensure that the entire play space is accessible, hence the need for further innovation in playground design.

Of course, disabilities are extremely varied and it is important to make sure every individual is provided with play that meets their needs. We have a diverse range of sensory products that focus on lighting and acoustics to entertain children with less physical play needs. A mix of sensory play opportunities throughout playgrounds is essential for creating a diverse play space that is going to be inclusive to all visitors.

Despite all our current designs that cater towards accessibility needs, there is always room for improvement and development. We are excited to see what the future holds for accessible playgrounds within the UK and are looking forward to working with Accessible UK and Richter Spielgeräte to develop fully inclusive and accessible playgrounds, with maximum play value, where every single part is useable for every single person.