{"id":1438,"date":"2026-08-30T22:52:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1438"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:52:36","slug":"cvc2026-736","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-736\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-736 \u2013 Play environments for blind and low vision children: Findings from a scoping review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-736<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Play environments for blind and low vision children: Findings from a scoping review<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Fatemeh Aminpour, <\/strong>University of Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dagmar Reinhardt,<\/strong> University of Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-736 Play environments for blind and low vision children: Findings from a scoping review\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OegR-9jb2Qc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background: <\/strong>Play is a fundamental right of every child and a critical driver of physical, cognitive, and social development. Yet children who are blind or have low vision (BLV) consistently encounter barriers to meaningful play participation, rooted in environments designed without them in mind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim: <\/strong>This scoping review maps the existing evidence on the play environments and experiences of BLV children, identifying what is known about the features of play settings that support or hinder their participation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method\/approach:<\/strong> Following PRISMA reporting guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across six databases (Scopus, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest) in three iterative rounds. The search combined a fixed population string (blind\/low vision terminology) with progressively expanded setting strings covering physical play environments, multisensory and active play, and social, cognitive, and exploratory play dimensions. Studies of any design addressing play, play behaviour, or play environments in BLV children aged 0\u201318 were included.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings: <\/strong>Across the studies retrieved, several themes emerge: (a) BLV children\u2019s play is shaped by environmental constraints and a lack of opportunity. (b) Multisensory features\u2014tactile surfaces, auditory landmarks, clear spatial layouts, and tactile maps\u2014enable independent exploration and participation. (c) Social play remains under-supported; adult over-mediation and inaccessible peer settings limit children\u2019s agency and peer connection. (d) Children\u2019s voices and co-design contributions remain largely absent from the literature.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: <\/strong>Findings point to an urgent need for inclusive playground design guided by BLV children\u2019s lived experiences, and for participatory research that centres children as experts in their own play.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children and families: <\/strong>Your child deserves a playground where they can explore, make friends, and have fun independently. Better-designed play spaces, with sounds, textures, and clear layouts, can make a real difference, and your family\u2019s experiences and ideas should help shape them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners:<\/strong> Evidence supports prioritising multisensory environmental features, with tactile pathways, auditory cues, and structured layouts, to enable independent navigation and peer play for BLV children. Design and intervention decisions should be informed by children\u2019s and families\u2019 lived experiences.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding: <\/strong>This project is funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC Project ID: DP240100824).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> blind and low vision children, play environments, inclusive design, multisensory design, scoping review<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal13\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal3\">SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG\u00a010: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fatemeh Aminpour, University of Sydney, Australia; Dagmar Reinhardt, University of Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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