Children’s play isn’t, well, child’s play. It’s a stepping stone to adulthood, says Laura K. Vogtle, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, professor and director of UAB’s Postprofessional Master’s Program in occupational therapy in the UAB School of Health Professions. Play helps to build brains, bodies and social interactions that prepare children for school and the rest of their lives.
Universal Design (UD) is an approach to design that increases the potential for developing a better quality of life for a wide range of individuals. It is a design process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). It creates products, systems, and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.
