Inclusive Parks Guide

The Universal Access Program in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the pioneering and important initiatives adopted by the King Salman Center for Disability Research.

This program aims to enhance the rights of people with disabilities. It focuses on removing architectural and social barriers that prevent the participation of people with disabilities in various aspects of life by developing specific standards and specifications that ensure easy access to all facilities and services.

Through collaboration with governmental and private entities, the program seeks to achieve an inclusive and integrated environment that allows people with disabilities to actively participate in society.

Therefore, under King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the royal decree number (35362) dated (22-9-1434H) was issued, approving and endorsing the preparation of comprehensive access guides as a national project.

One of the key programs at the King Salman Center for Disability Research is the "Universal Access" program, which aims to improve accessibility and prepare various services and facilities for all segments of the population, especially people with disabilities, contributing to the creation of a vibrant society, one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030.

From this perspective, the Inclusive parks Guide was developed as a comprehensive guide on how to design and create gardens that meet the needs of people with disabilities and enhance their quality of life. Inclusive parks aim to integrate children with disabilities with their peers, fostering interaction and promoting their inclusion in everyday life.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there is an urgent need to address the inclusion of children with disabilities in public parks.

Despite the fact that people with disabilities constitute 7.1% of the total population, the current designs of parks lack the facilities to meet the needs of these children, limiting their ability to participate in recreational activities and community interaction.
 

There is a clear absence of standards or official documents that specify the criteria for creating inclusive garden environments.

This oversight not only hinders access but also affects the quality of life of children with disabilities, making it essential to develop comprehensive guidelines to ensure that public gardens are welcoming and accessible to all children, regardless of their physical abilities.

This guide aims to establish design standards to make parks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accessible and inclusive for children with disabilities. It will serve as a detailed reference, providing information on the design and creation of parks that meet the needs of children with disabilities, thereby improving their quality of life.

The guide includes illustrative designs for the components of inclusive parks, reviewing the design dimensions of each component separately.

This provides an opportunity to improve the design mechanisms of inclusive parks using the latest global principles of urban garden design.

This guide is based on the seven universal principles of inclusive design, which aim to enhance the accessibility of people with disabilities to parks and ensure that their elements are suitable for use by all segments of the population.

• Establishing design standards to make parks in Saudi Arabia accessible and inclusive for children with disabilities.
• The guide will act as a detailed reference for designing and creating parks that meet the needs of children with disabilities, with the aim of improving their quality of life.
• The guide includes illustrative designs for the components of inclusive parks, reviewing the design dimensions of each element.
• Improving the design of inclusive parks using the latest global principles of urban garden design.
• The guide is based on the seven universal principles of inclusive design, which aim to enhance the accessibility of people with disabilities to parks and make their components suitable for use by all segments of the population.