Promoting Health through Accessible Public Playground

. Introduction Every day, around 800,000 children with disabilities in Canada face challenges to access their right to do what every child should: play [1,2]. This is happening in public spaces including playgrounds, sports venues, community centers that should be accessible, utilized, explored, and embraced by everyone. Play contributes to physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development of all children [3]. Playgrounds are not only an important place for physical activities but also space for children to meet and interact with other children, develop communication skills and social abilities, and develop a sense of community and ownership of their neighborhood and public areas [4,5]. Conversely, playgrounds can inadvertently contribute to exclusion and discrimination, and further extend existing inequities. By imposing limitations on the accessibility of public playgrounds, these spaces may induce feelings of inadequacy and failure among marginalized communities who are excluded from being able to fully participate. Therefore, public playgrounds hold equal significance for children with disabilities as they do for other children. Play is a human right; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children (UN CRC) states that “accessible and inclusive environments and facilities must be made available to children with disabilities, to enable them to enjoy their rights (Article 31) [6]. According to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), State Parties must “ensure that children with disabilities have equal access with other children to participation in play, recreation, leisure and sporting activities, including those activities in the school system” (Article 30) [7]. However, according to a Canadian national survey, 69.7% of children with disabilities in Canada between 0 and 4 years old reported experiencing Children 2023, 10, 1308.