Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools
Background Children’s right to play remains underexplored in French mainstream schools. France’s inclusive education policies aim to include children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, but this transition can create challenges hindering meaningful play opportunities. This highlights the imp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/11038128.2025.2459150 |
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| _version_ | 1832545196072501248 |
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| author | Clémence Orain Thomas Morgenthaler Christina Schulze |
| author_facet | Clémence Orain Thomas Morgenthaler Christina Schulze |
| author_sort | Clémence Orain |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Children’s right to play remains underexplored in French mainstream schools. France’s inclusive education policies aim to include children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, but this transition can create challenges hindering meaningful play opportunities. This highlights the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of children’s experiences of play in school playgrounds.Aim This study explores children with disabilities’ experiences and perspectives on their outdoor play in French mainstream school playgrounds.Material and Methods Walking and Talking tour interviews were conducted with thirteen children with various disabilities across six mainstream schools in western France. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results (1) ‘I can(not) play’: Environmental Barriers and Opportunities; (2) ‘I have an idea’: Children’s Preferences for Enriching Play and Inclusion; (3) ‘Learn to Hear Me Out’: Strengthening Children’s Participation in Everyday School Practices including Playground Redesign.Conclusions and Significance This study highlights the barriers children with disabilities face in French mainstream school playgrounds. It emphasises the need for collaborative co-design to create inclusive and playful environments. Findings have implications for occupational science, inclusive education, school-based occupational therapy, and urban design. Future participatory research should explore the co-design of school playgrounds, involving all relevant stakeholders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c805ac23d87f48479b0037413c60c380 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1103-8128 1651-2014 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy |
| spelling | doaj-art-c805ac23d87f48479b0037413c60c3802025-02-03T08:06:31ZengTaylor & Francis GroupScandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy1103-81281651-20142025-12-0132110.1080/11038128.2025.2459150Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schoolsClémence Orain0Thomas Morgenthaler1Christina Schulze2Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, The NetherlandsDepartment of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University College Cork, IrelandSchool of Health Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, SwitzerlandBackground Children’s right to play remains underexplored in French mainstream schools. France’s inclusive education policies aim to include children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, but this transition can create challenges hindering meaningful play opportunities. This highlights the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of children’s experiences of play in school playgrounds.Aim This study explores children with disabilities’ experiences and perspectives on their outdoor play in French mainstream school playgrounds.Material and Methods Walking and Talking tour interviews were conducted with thirteen children with various disabilities across six mainstream schools in western France. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results (1) ‘I can(not) play’: Environmental Barriers and Opportunities; (2) ‘I have an idea’: Children’s Preferences for Enriching Play and Inclusion; (3) ‘Learn to Hear Me Out’: Strengthening Children’s Participation in Everyday School Practices including Playground Redesign.Conclusions and Significance This study highlights the barriers children with disabilities face in French mainstream school playgrounds. It emphasises the need for collaborative co-design to create inclusive and playful environments. Findings have implications for occupational science, inclusive education, school-based occupational therapy, and urban design. Future participatory research should explore the co-design of school playgrounds, involving all relevant stakeholders.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/11038128.2025.2459150Inclusive educationmainstream schoolparticipationplay redesignschool playgroundsvulnerable populations |
| spellingShingle | Clémence Orain Thomas Morgenthaler Christina Schulze Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy Inclusive education mainstream school participation play redesign school playgrounds vulnerable populations |
| title | Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools |
| title_full | Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools |
| title_fullStr | Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools |
| title_full_unstemmed | Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools |
| title_short | Walking, talking, playing: Children with disabilities’ outdoor play in French mainstream schools |
| title_sort | walking talking playing children with disabilities outdoor play in french mainstream schools |
| topic | Inclusive education mainstream school participation play redesign school playgrounds vulnerable populations |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/11038128.2025.2459150 |
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