Queensland Government
Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services

Located at www.allabilitiesplayground.net.au, the All Abilities ePlayground is a free online space offering fun and games for children of all abilities.

The ePlayground reflects the values and aims of 17 outdoor all abilities playgrounds funded by the Queensland Government across the state, including 16 created as part of the Queensland All Abilities Playground Project (QAAPP) – enabling participation in play.

The ePlayground aims to:

  • reflect an all-inclusive and safe play environment
  • offer fun, innovative and accessible ways of interactive online play
  • stimulate and support imagination, skills development and cognitive learning
  • allow a child with a disability to play as independently as possible
  • create awareness and acceptance of alternative ways to play
  • support integration and mutual understanding by play and interaction.

Background

The concept of an 'all abilities' play environment online emerged during the creation of the Gold Coast's Kurrawa All Abilities Playground - one of the 16 outdoor playgrounds being created as part of QAAPP.

With the Gold Coast being a major holiday destination for families worldwide, the idea was to create a way for children to visit (or even revisit) the play space from anywhere - making the all abilities playgrounds more accessible than ever.

Gold Coast-local Phia Damsma, from Sonokids Australia, worked closely with the Gold Coast City Council, Disability Services and children of all abilities to develop the ePlayground, which uses web, sound-based and switch applications to meet the needs of children with varied abilities.

Different ways to play

Two versions of the All Abilities ePlayground were created to maximise play experiences for children who use various types of assistive technology. The two versions offer a range of different ways to play, as listed below.

  1. Keyboard and mouse version:
    • a computer mouse
    • keys of a normal keyboard
    • a touch screen
    • a trackball or joystick
    • an interactive whiteboard.

    Two games are also playable via single switch and Puff2PlayTM.

  2. Automatic-scanning version:
    • single switch
    • Spacebar
    • puffing into a microphone (Puff2PlayTM)
    • mouse left-click
    • interactive whiteboard.

The two versions simply offer all children a gateway to the same online playground - meaning everyone has the access they need to play online, side-by-side with their friends and family members.

Spoken and text instructions are also provided throughout, which not only helps players, but also assists communication partners in their supporting role.

Testing and recognition

Throughout 2009, students and teachers from a number of Gold Coast schools put the All Abilities ePlayground throughout its paces. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with the playground's fun and games being accessed by children of varied abilities. This included children with:

  • print disability
  • autism spectrum disorder
  • Down syndrome
  • cerebral palsy
  • learning disability
  • speech disability
  • intellectual disability
  • physical disability.

A testing workshop was also held during a 2009 International Day for People with a Disability event at Nerang.

The ePlayground has been recognised by the international awards program, ACCESS-IT, as best practice in relation to accessibility and was featured in the ACCESS-IT 2009 Best Practice Publication (PDF).

"Nothing gives more satisfaction and inspiration than seeing the smile on the face of children with a disability when they discover that they too can be a part of this exciting experience and play independently, side-by-side with their classmates." - Phia Damsma, Creative Director, Sonokids Australia.

Acknowledgements

The All Abilities ePlayground is an initiative of the Gold Coast City Council in collaboration with Department of Communities (Disability Services) and created by Sonokids Australia - a non-government organisation based on the Gold Coast.

The development of the ePlayground owes much to the dedication of Sonokids' Phia Damsma, who was also a member of the Playground Committee which helped steer the creation of the all abilities playground at Kurrawa Pratten Parklands.

For their invaluable feedback and contributions, special mention and thanks also go to students and teachers from the following Gold Coast schools:

  • Broadbeach State School
  • Caningeraba State School (Special Education Unit or SEU)
  • Labrador State School (SEU)
  • Mudgeeraba Special School
  • Southport Special School.

Special thanks also go to Gold Coast surf musician Aaron Bishop, whose music is sampled in the ePlayground, and 11-year-old Bram Lieftinck, from The Netherlands, who tested the ePlayground with regard to accessibility for blind players.