All Play Together: Design Concepts of a Sensory Play Equipment Aimed to an Inclusive Play Experience

Active, meaningful, independent play is crucial for the development of health, emotional and social well-being of all children, at any age andwith different abilities. Nowadays, in the field of outdoor play equipment there is a growing attention to the needs of an increasingly wide range of users with various abilities. However, the current solutions do not meet fully inclusive requirements due to physical and social barriers limiting access, participation and play experience. Thus, interaction and socialization for childrenwith disability remain goals still far from being achieved. This article presents a line of outdoor sensory play equipment to investigate how sensorial and emotional aspects of the play, which present a fertile ground for inclusion, can be translated in design solutions by adopting Human-Centred Design approaches, such as, field observations, semi-structured interviews and focus groups together with a deep analysis concerning market worldwide.