Abstract
A visually impaired child, if not stimulated, may face delays in motor, cognitive and social development. A simple, didactic and playful method to stimulate these skills is through toys. Although the importance of the toy is recognized by child behavior' researchers, it is noted a lack of inclusive toys available in the market. This paper presents the development and evaluation of an inclusive toy prototype for visually impaired children in preschool adopting inclusive design principles in the project. We conducted an electronic research with health and education professionals, evaluating their perceptions about the inclusive features of the prototype, to understand if these features can be considered as an innovation strategy to the industry and if the toy has potential as an instrument of stimulation for visually impaired children. The results show that 90% of the participants believe that the prototype is attractive for visually impaired children and 81% that is suitable for 3 to 6 years children. Besides, 97% considered it inclusive and 64% as innovative. In relation to the stimuli provided, the agreement was always positive: 97% believe that it will stimulate the touch, 65% sight, 62% motor coordination, 78% imagination, 84% curiosity and 58% autonomy of the child.
Highlights
The importance of playing for child development is a subject that has concerned researchers over the last years and has been approached in several studies, such as the French philosopher Henri Wallon (1879-1962), studious of child's universe, who verified that playing is an important resource of learning and communication between children (Galvão, 1998; Pedroso et al, 2013)
The results show that most of the participants considered the prototype innovative, inclusive, attractive and with the potential to stimulate the child's sense, being able to be implemented as a stimulation instrument for the neuropsychomotor development of visually impaired children
A toy for visually impaired children at preschool age using the seven principles of inclusive design in its development was evaluated by 31 health and education professionals
Summary
The importance of playing for child development is a subject that has concerned researchers over the last years and has been approached in several studies, such as the French philosopher Henri Wallon (1879-1962), studious of child's universe, who verified that playing is an important resource of learning and communication between children (Galvão, 1998; Pedroso et al, 2013). Playing is a universal and multicultural practice that is part of children's every day since the beginning of civilization. Archaeological finds from the 4thcentury b.C., and references in literature, like the Odyssey by Ulysses, show that child plays already existed in ancient times (Dias, 2013). Innovation in the Design of Inclusive Toys: Development and Evaluation of a Prototype for Visually Impaired Children. Strategic Design Research Journal, volume 12, number 03, September – December 2019.
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