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Integration
Adopting the principle of normalization leads to the integration of people with disabilities in the
community in all spheres of life. Integration enables people with disabilities to have equal rights and
equal obligations, to be socially involved, active and to contribute to society. The process of
integration is aimed to maximize each person’s potential to participate in his/her culture’s
mainstream.
Social Inclusion
The term inclusion refers to a person’s ability to have positive interactions with people in his/her
environment, be accepted and participate in regular frameworks suited to him/her. Social inclusion
depends on the removal of social obstacles to integration, including negative community attitudes
towards people with disabilities. A society which embraces values of equality, integration and social
inclusion ensures its strength.
Integration and Social Inclusion among Children
Integration and social inclusion benefit all children in society. A community infused with the spirit of
integration and social inclusion passes these values on to future generations. Children participating
in integration activities with children with disabilities develop habits of helpfulness, openness,
patience and tolerance.
Stigmas and Prejudice
For most people, meeting a person with disabilities is an unfamiliar and discomfiting situation. A
widespread traditional approach sees the person with a disability as helpless, dependent on others, a
burden to his family and to society, in need of treatment and care. He/she is not expected to be
autonomous and he/she is not believed to be able to contribute to society; his/her efforts to be
active in society are ignored. The transformation that needs to occur is a move from diagnosing the
individual to diagnosing the environment, a move from a terminology of pathology to a terminology
of quality of life and environmental design, from patronizing people with disabilities to entering into
full partnership with them.
Leisure Activities as a Natural Setting for Social Integration
Leisure is one of the spheres of life important to the wellbeing of every person and an essential part
of a good quality of life. Three important international documents
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declare leisure as one of the
spheres where equal opportunities must be ensured to all people, including people with disabilities.
Children with disabilities have as much need for leisure activities as any other child. A playground is a
natural, normative place that enables all children - and in particular children with disabilities - to gain
rich experiences, develop skills and meet other children.
The Playground as a Tool to Advance Integration and Social Inclusion
Playing in a playground takes a large portion of most children’s leisure time. Playing affects physical,
mental, emotional and social wellbeing directly.
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World Leisure Organization, 1998.
Convention in the Rights of the Child, Article 31.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 30.