Mike Carr (Early Years Alliance Business Support Office an onetime Project Officer at Disability Africa) wrote this article for the Early Years Alliance to mark National Week of Play (21/06/2023). We are grateful to Mike and to the Early Years Alliance for permission to reproduce Mike's article here:
I was sitting in a hot, stuffy classroom one mid-afternoon in rural Kenya. As I sat there, the meeting drawing to a close and the stifling air clinging to my skin, I was struck by something a teacher said. She quietly spoke and revealed that she taught a class of over 130 primary school children. Oh, and she didn’t even need to mention that there was no classroom assistant in sight! That went without saying.
This was a story like many I had heard before and since. Limited resources and a climbing number of pupils have meant that the education system is stretched in Kenya, like it is in many low- and middle-income countries around the world. Nonetheless, it still surprised me – perhaps it was the calm, measured tone in which she said it, almost as though what she stated was reasonable.
In this meeting, I was representing Disability Africa, a small non-governmental organisation that works with local community groups to run projects for disabled children in The Gambia, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Zambia.
It is almost guaranteed, anywhere in the world, that if services are strained and overwhelmed, disabled people will be left even further behind due to societal attitudes and systemic barriers.
To address this challenging situation, Disability Africa’s first step is to run playschemes for disabled children with local community members. This might seem somewhat underwhelming. Convoys of battle buses full of doctors, nurses, teachers and builders – and then the equipment and materials to construct hospitals and schools – might seem a more exciting or proactive approach.
So why playschemes?
Playschemes are an opportunity for all children to interact and play with each other. There are playworkers who might help set up and over-see some activities, but they are child-led environments, for children to be safe, while having fun.
Playschemes can be set up anywhere in the world. They are inexpensive, sustainable and replicable. With just a few like-minded, responsible and inclusive adults, a playscheme can be established to address the comprehensive deprivation of social interaction, education and healthcare that disabled children face around the world.
They also serve as the most powerful strategy for inclusion.
Playschemes provide a space for disabled children and non-disabled children to share positive experiences with each other, ensuring the next generation grows up more inclusive while embracing diversity and accepting differences. This is especially important in contexts where disabled children are excluded from ordinary community life due to the stigma associated with their impairment.
They also offer spaces for children to learn the essential skills in life: communication skills, social skills, fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving, coordination, emotional regulation, creativity and independence. Playschemes nurture these skills and allow exploration. They are life-enriching educational experiences; helping to simultaneously improve a children’s lives, promote their welfare, reduce pressures on families, and reduce inequality.
Returning to the class of 130 children, it’s clear to see that many children – especially those with learning difficulties and intellectual impairments – would be better served in a playscheme. For many, the playscheme is a bridge to mainstream education. An opportunity to develop skills and confidence at their own pace, before transitioning into formal schooling with support from a playworker.
I have lost count of the number of stories I have heard of disabled children who “could do nothing”, being supported in the caring and loving environment of a playscheme, and then all their skills and potential becoming obvious!
Learning can be achieved in multiple, innovative ways and play-based curriculums are life-supporting alternatives to schools which do not have any appropriate provision for disabled students.
Play is universal and truly inclusive – everyone can play, regardless of background, impairment, race and religion. Games and activities of all types can be adjusted for those taking part. Play is as natural to human beings as breathing.
As I reflect on my experiences, I will be celebrating play as a force for inclusion in this National Week of Play.
This article was written by Mike Carr, Alliance business support officer
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