Recreation

Apple Watch Could Soon Measure Activity Of Wheelchair Users

Fitness trackers normally help users keep track of their fitness levels by measuring the number of steps they take in a day, the distance they walked or ran, and also ...
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How Tech Is Improving Soccer Experience For Visually Impaired Fans

In December 2018, a clip of a Liverpool fan at Anfield celebrating a goal during a Champions League match went viral. Such an event isn’t unusual in itself given fans ...
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Meet the Dancer Combining Sign Language & Hip Hop

Music and dance are such universal parts of the human experience. They are fundamental to who we are. So, why is it that so many people assume the Deaf or hearing ...
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Social robots as social catalysts: Collaborating with older adults as design research partners

Worldwide, the number of people over the age of 60 is rising faster than any other age group — from 962 million in 2017 to an expected 2.1 billion in 2050, and ...
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‘It’s my escape.’ How video games help people cope with disabilities.

When Jackson Reece lost his arms and legs to sepsis after already being paralyzed, he thought his life was over. It was video games that brought him back ...
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Why cities need accessible playgrounds

Nearly one in five people have a disability in the U.S., yet most playgrounds aren’t built to accommodate them ...
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An Xbox controller with a built-in Braille display is Microsoft’s latest gaming accessibility play

Microsoft  has been leaning into accessibility in gaming lately, most visibly with its amazing Adaptive Controller, and a new patent suggests another way the company may be accommodating disabled gamers: an Xbox ...
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How Owning Her Disability Helped Alvin Ailey Dancer Samantha Figgins Find Her Confidence

The room fell quiet as Samantha Figgins began to dance. She contracted and extended, each gesture ripe with meaning. One moment she crouched in seeming defeat, and the next she ...
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Morgan’s Inspiration Island Is the World’s First Accessible Water Park

Beating the heat this summer just got a bit easier thanks to a Morgan’s Inspiration Island, a new and accessible water park. Opening June 17, Morgan’s Inspiration Island is an “ultra-accessible” water ...
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Landscape Architect Walter Hood Aims to Build Community-Inclusive Spaces

Walter Hood transforms run-of-the-mill public spaces–city parks, highway underpasses–into pillars of the communities they serve. His goal: to prove that every place, and every person, can benefit from good design ...
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Barcelona, Singapore and Berlin: World’s best cities to travel if you’re disabled

The best accessible destinations for your holidays in 2017, as chosen by disabled travelers ...
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Accessible activity: my wonderful horse and carriage experience in Devon

So last Sunday my fiancee Kasia and I headed from Cambridgeshire to Devon to complete the accessible activity you had chosen for me. With around five hours of driving, we finally ...
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Braille trail, sensory garden, and marimba bench enliven accessible park project

A newly opened park in Watertown, Massachusetts, wants to make sure everyone, from the elderly to the visually impaired, can experience nature on their own terms ...
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New UWS Playground Dubbed ‘Gold Standard’ of Accessibility for All Kids

The playground's "universal design" concept calls for play equipment and layouts to not just be accessible, but to encourage interaction between children of different mental and physical abilities ...
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Accessible Gardening : NCHPAD – Building Inclusive Communities

Gardening is a healthy and simple way to enjoy safe and comfortable physical and mental activity.  One can engage in gardening and structure it to leisure-time physical activity or focus ...
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Occupational therapists explore the serious side of play

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 ...
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Sabrina Cohen Foundation to open accessible beach in Florida

On July 2, the Sabrina Cohen Foundation will be opening an accessible beach to the public, funded by grants from the Craig H. Nielsen Foundation and the Christopher & Dana ...
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A new hope for hikers with disabilities – access to information

Portland-based Access Recreation isn't pushing for better access on trails, it's pushing for better access to information on trails. For these hikers, that makes a world of difference ...
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The ‘Canoemobile’ Makes National Parks More Accessible to People With Disabilities

If you’re a person with or without a disability and you’d love to experience the thrill of the open water, the Canoemobile may be for you. In celebration of the ...
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Best Practices of Accessibililty in Parks and Recreation

Best Practices of Accessibililty in Parks and Recreation: A Delphi Survey of National Experts in Accessibility. Voight, Alison; Robb, Gary; Skulski, Jennifer; Getz, Deborah; Scharven, Debbie (2008). Final Report (PDF) ...
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National Center on Accessibility

The National Center on Accessibility promotes access and inclusion for people with disabilities in parks, recreation and tourism. NCA was established through a cooperative agreement between Indiana University and the ...
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Attitude shift needed to encourage outdoor play

OUTDOOR nurseries are giving children better learning outcomes, according to new Care Inspectorate figures. The regulatory body has launched a resource to encourage early years establishments to take learning outdoors ...
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Shane’s Inspiration playgrounds: a boon to ALL kids

A well-constructed playground is much more than a place for kids to play—it is a place to develop skills and physical fitness as well as an area to socialize and ...
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It’s time to accept that some athletes use wheelchairs

FREQUENTLY I’m asked why I’m an advocate for inclusion to sports. Mostly it is because I may use a wheelchair. But I do not see myself as disabled. I may ...
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Design for Everyone Guide

Welcome to the Design For Everyone: A Guide To Sport And Recreation Settings. The guide is a resource that uses the principles of Universal Design to provide users with an ...
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Guide opens door to sports accessibility

Sport and Recreation Victoria has launched a new web portal to aid architects, designers and project managers to build better public places. The Design for Everyone Guide was unveiled by ...
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Please Touch Museum and Imagination Playground Partner for World Meeting of Families

Imagination Playground, LLC, http://www.imaginationplayground.com, creators of the breakthrough play space concept that encourages child-directed, unstructured free play, announced today their partnership with the nationally acclaimed Please Touch Museum to bring ...
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Why inclusive design is more than just a box-ticking exercise

Is the built environment industry really putting people at the centre of the design process, or is it just paying lip service to the idea in order to tick a ...
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Disability and Sport: The Birth of the Paralympics – from Rehabilitation to World Class Performance

This section tells you about Ludwig Guttman, Stoke Mandeville's first director, who used sport as a central element in his revolutionary rehabilitation system for people paralysed in the Second World ...
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New playground dedicated in Youngstown

After months of snow, ice, and then rain, community members finally got together on Friday at the Wick Park Pavilion to officially dedicate a new playground ...
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MILLENNIUM PARK SETS ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS, ADA 25 CHICAGO SAYS

Twenty-five years ago the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and sets standards that require accessibility in public places ...
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Featured Playgrounds

A Few of Our Favorites ...
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Integrating UD into recreation camp activities

There is no legislation within Australia to guide the design of sporting or leisure activities that enable participation by people with varied abilities. This publication outlines the importance of universal ...
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Playgrounds For Seniors Improve Fitness, Reduce Isolation

No more sitting around in the park feeding the squirrels. Playgrounds designed for seniors have caught on in Asia and Europe and are beginning to make their way across the ...
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Why an Inclusive Playground Benefits All Children

When Fruzsina Elo's first child was born he weighed 1 lb., 6 ozs., and it wasn't until he was six weeks old that she was able to hold him in ...
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THE ROLE OF INTEROCEPTION IN PLAY AND RECREATION

This year, my kindergarten age son is learning about the five senses. His excitement for learning is nothing short of contagious as he analyzes daily interactions with the world based ...
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Senior Playgrounds and Universal Design

New communities need to start planning for the health and well-being of the elderly with suitable spaces that promote social engagement, play and gentle exercise ...
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Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails

This publication is an updated version of the original “Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails” (2006 edition). The original guidebook was released the same day the U.S. Department of ...
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Designing for Inclusive Play: Applying the Principles of Universal Design to the Playground

The public playground is, by far, one of the most important settings for child development. It is one of the few environments where a child has the freedom to run ...
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person walking in a hallway with others siting the background
Recreation: A younger gentleman walking with an older man in the park
Public Buildings: aerial view of city buildings
Streets: people crossing an intersection
Housing: exterior view of a suburban house
Transportation: close up of dangling handles on a bus