Did you know that The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) is the most widely sanctioned human rights treaty in history?

 

The United States is the only country that has yet to ratify this celebrated agreement – although it has signalled its intention to do so.

 

Article 31 of The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the child’s right to play as a fundamental human right – highlighting the importance of play within early child development.

 

The significance of play was emphasised at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology Conference last week.

 

Speaking at the event, Emma Lewell-Buck MP, the Shadow Minister for Children and Families, said: “Play is not an add on to education, it is an essential part of it.”

 

Delegates emphasised the ability of play to help children develop:

 

• Independence and ability to make choices
• Self-confidence and self-efficacy
• Communication and social skills such as sharing, negotiating, the ability to resolve conflicts and self-advocacy skills
• Creativity and imagination
• Physically
• Cognition and problem-solving skills
• Learning readiness and learning behaviours
• Ability to learn by doing, so that they can explore and experience the world around them, discover their own areas of interest and the passions they wish to pursue
• Ability to express their views and even frustrations through play, allowing an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of their perspectives

 

Sensory Guru aims to ensure that all of the products that it produces will enable children to have access to play and gamified learning experiences – no matter what their disability is.

 

Products such as the Magic Carpet and Magic Mirror:

 

• Have multi-user recognition to support group interaction
• Can be accessed using several access methods, whether it be Eye Gaze, Switch, Touch, Gesture, Sound, or Mouse, ensuring children can access and control the system using their preferred access method and supporting active play
• Have their own app store – with hundreds of games that can be accessed and downloaded – this ensures that games can be set at the level of the individual and go beyond simple cause and effect games
• Stimulate and engage participants, creating an immersive environment that fires the imagination like never before

 

Karen Bratchell, Nurture Room Leader at St Joseph’s Specialist School and College, said that the Magic Carpet: “Has brought so much out of our learners, their imagination just runs absolutely wild. They are pretending to be animals hiding in caves or take their shoes off and swim across the fish pond app!”

 

If you would like to see the benefits Sensory Guru technologies could provide to your school or organisation, please contact us for a complimentary demonstration.

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Article 31 of The Convention on the Rights of the Child

“That every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

That member governments shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.”

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