A gap in perceived accessibility to play spaces for physical activity in Arizona elementary schools

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans states all children should be provided with various physical activity opportunities; however, school play spaces are often unaccommodating to students with disabilities and this limitation may be exacerbated in lower-income schools.

The purpose of the study was to compare elementary school play space accessibility among children with and without disabilities at lower- and higher-income schools.

This cross-sectional study utilized an online survey assessing the perceived accessibility of play spaces for students with and without disabilities in low- and high-income schools administered to 178 physical education teachers across Arizona. Chi-square analyses were conducted to assess reported play space adequacy among students with and without disabilities, and associations by school-level income.

There was a significant association between disability status and reported playground and play field inadequacy (p < 0.05). Without considering school income, reported inadequacy was 3x greater for students with disabilities compared to those without for both playgrounds and play fields. Among low-income schools, reported inadequacy was 3x greater for playgrounds and 7x greater for play fields for students with disabilities compared to those without.

These results suggest a gap in access to school play spaces for students with disabilities and highlight the lack of inclusive play areas specifically among schools serving low-income populations. Our findings underscore the need for students with disabilities to be considered in the development of play spaces to ensure this at-risk population receives maximum opportunities for accessible movement and social engagement during the school day.