Equal Play for All

I was inspired to become an OT while I was a camp counselor for the YMCA. One of the many children that inspired me was a little girl named Amber who had scoliosis. She was a seven year old who was about the size of a two year old and insisted on always walking even though she could not get around very easily. One aspect of her day that always upset me was that we had to keep her inside during play time outside. Part of the YMCA camp curriculum was at least an hour of outside play time each day when the weather permitted. Unfortunately, Amber's condition was so serve that a simple fall could potentially kill her. So while all of her friend's played outside, she sat at the doorway and colored or played with legos. She had experienced this problem all throughout her time at school, so she was pretty much accustomed to this problem, but for me I found it very upsetting. The school playgroup was anything but universally designed in any aspect. For this reason, I find the Equal Play for All a very important movement. If not all playgrounds, school playgrounds must become more accessible. There should have at least been a space for Amber to sit outside with her classmates, if not fully play on the equipment.