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Access study looks to kids as experts
The challenge: Participating in everyday
activities helps children develop skills,
interests and friendships that promote
physical health and emotional
wellbeing. But children who use
wheelchairs or walkers face barriers.
That’s because most houses,
communities and schools aren’t built
with their needs in mind. Stairs, narrow
doorways and standard furniture
separate these kids from their peers.
Sometimes buildings are technically
accessible, but convey the message that
children with disabilities don’t belong.
For example, a ramp may be added to a
school, but if it's located at the back of
the building and everyone else goes in
at the front, it implies second-class
treatment. Little is known about how
children with disabilities navigate and
evaluate their built environments.
The solution: A three-year study led by
Bloorview scientist Patricia McKeever
asks children to rate the accessibility
and inclusiveness of their homes,
communities and schools.
How it works: In the first phase –
underway now – 12 children aged 10-14
from urban, suburban, rural and
northern Ontario communities are
interviewed about each environment.
Kids draw maps on a tablet PC, take
photos and talk about how they get
around and how included they feel in
each setting. Outside, they carry a
blackberry that generates a real-time
map of their whereabouts. Later, using
Google Earth, they discuss the places
they went, barriers faced and what
could be improved. Researchers assess
five locations chosen by the child,
including a nearby park, movie theatre,
restaurant, doctor’s office and store.
Based on case study findings, a survey
of about 1,000 Ontario children aged
six to 14 will be conducted in the fall.
The impact: The goal is to develop
scientific evidence that will influence
building codes and place-based
interventions so that kids with
disabilities have the same
opportunities as their peers to
participate in childhood activities.