A From-Disabled-to-Able Approach to the Universal Design of Children’s Play Products

Children spend most of their time playing when they are not asleep or at school (Hofferth and Sandberg, 2001). Play is the main business of childhood (Singer and Singer, 1977). It contributes to the cognitive, motor, and social development of children, including the development of perception, attention, memory, problem-solving skills, language, communication, creativity, logical operations, emotion regulation, self regulation, social skills, gender roles, social relationships, conflict resolution, coping with stress, and so on (Power, 2000). Musselwhite (1986) even described play as a childhood occupation. When dealing with play concepts, a higher level of play themes can more effectively activate intrinsic activity, invite spontaneous and voluntary participation, and create an element of enjoyment, the themes of play according to Brofenbrenner (1979). The use of higher level of play themes in design can also better meet the criteria of play defined by Piaget (1962) to include interest, spontaneity, pleasure, relative lack of organization, freedom from conflicts, and overmotivation.