GameTime: EveryBODY Plays Design Universally Inclusive Playgrounds

FORT PAYNE, Ala.--(Business Wire)--
GameTime believes that everyone has the right to play, regardless
of age or ability. We also believe that everyone should play together.
That was the motivation behind the development of our 7 Principals of
Inclusive Design used as the framework for our EveryBODY Plays Program
Guide. The EveryBODY Plays Program Guide was developed to serve as an
educational resource for communities that are planning, revitalizing,
and/or building playgrounds. This guide, provided by GameTime, offers
educational materials that help people understand the value of and
necessity for inclusive, universally designed outdoor play
environments for people of all abilities. Playgrounds with universal
access promote inclusive, intergenerational play. The program
principles are designed for children, as they are our primary user
group, but they are also developed to bring benefit to people of all
ages and abilities.

A great deal of emphasis is placed on making "accessible"
playgrounds for children with disabilities. While this is worthy, it
can sometimes lead to the social separation or isolation of some
children. Through no fault of their own, opportunities for independent
play may be less available to children with disabilities as a result
of barriers in the play environment. These may be physical barriers to
access or social barriers to participation. Current guidelines for
physical accessibility do not guarantee social accessibility, or the
opportunity to participate. GameTime addresses this problem by helping
you build universally designed play environments that encompass the
abilities of all people in a fun, inclusive play experience.

GameTime's 7 Principals of Inclusive Design focus on the usage of
individual play equipment products as well as the collective
playground environmental design. We adapt equipment design to meet the
needs of the users rather than forcing users to adapt to the
equipment. The EveryBODY Plays Program Guide describes each principal
of inclusive design, complete with guidelines to follow, benefits,
application examples, and a planning checklist to help you design a
truly unique play environment that is both accessible and inclusive to
all people! In addition, our play activity grids describe the
relevance of playground activities such as swinging to the seven
principals.

To find out more, go to www.gametime.com/everybodyplays or call
800-235-2440.

GameTime
Nick Whisenhunt
256-997-5230
nickw@gametime.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008