Disabled children 'facing barriers' to play, inquiry finds

'Both disabled children and their parents are excluded from their own communities'

Disabled children are facing multiple barriers to accessing mainstream play areas, leaving them excluded from their own communities, an inquiry has found.

It is leading to children with multiple needs missing out on the opportunity to make friends, according to the report commissioned by national deafblind charity Sense.

The Case for Play report, the result of a three-month long investigation which looked at play opportunities for 570,000 disabled children in England and Wales, found that play was vital for children’s sense of wellbeing, normalcy and inclusion. Play was critical to give children the best start in life, said Richard Kramer, the deputy chief executive of Sense.

However, more than 90 per cent of parents with disabled children who gave evidence to the inquiry did not think their children had the same opportunities to play as those without disabilities. And around half of the parents said their children had been turned away from play areas.

The inquiry, co-chaired by Lord David Blunkett, found that common barriers to play included “misguided notions” of health and safety, play settings not being accessible to children with multiple needs, insufficient funding at a local level and negative public attitudes towards children with disabilities.

“A lack of play will mean they are less able to achieve their full potential,” the inquiry said.

The inquiry recommended that more investment was needed in play as part of early-years funding and that the Equality and Human Rights Commission needed to investigate children with multiple needs being excluded from mainstream play.

Play staff also needed specific training on multiple needs and disability to improve the support they could offer to the children and their parents.

“Our inquiry found that all too often the parents of children with multiple-needs point to barriers they face in accessing and enjoying play. It means that disabled children don’t have the same chance to form friendships, and parents are prevented from taking a break from carrying," said Lord Blunkett.

"Both disabled children and their parents are excluded from their own communities,” he added.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring disabled children can access early years education and that play opportunities are accessible to disabled children.

"We don't want to see any children discriminated against and to help this we have introduced the biggest reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability system in a generation, focusing support on individual needs and aspirations."

In a statement given to The Independent, Ruth Owen OBE, Chief Executive at Whizz-Kidz, said the charity was disappointed that the inquiry showed young disabled people were denied the chance to have an active childhood.

"We know that play is a fundamental part of every child’s development but there is a big gap in service provision... We have seen throughout our 25 year history as a disabled children’s charity, that with the right equipment and services early on, disabled children can become confident and independent young adults at home, at school and at play."