Tag Archives: skateboarding

News flash: children with disabilities also have an appetite for adventure

Photo of aaron fotheringhamMy city is about to host the Paralympic Games. The prospect of watching the talents of disabled sportspeople has got me thinking about the lives of children and young people with disabilities. Just like their non-disabled peers, they have an appetite for risk and adventure. By way of a demonstration, I would like to introduce you to Aaron Fotheringham.

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When you walk or you ride or you sit or you climb, that’s affordance

I’ve thinking a lot about affordances recently. An affordance is something in the environment that makes an offer to a person, or that reveals a possible function. Here is an example: a flat hard surface about 20 – 40 cm off the ground affords sitting.

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Check out the Stratford Mall skate scene

Coming through Stratford City shopping centre around 9 pm last night, I saw a small group of skaters – boards, roller and in-line – exploiting the smooth floors for their tricks and weaves.

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A parent lets her kid go to the skatepark – and I’m proud

Skaters in a skate park

Photo by Phil Doyle

This afternoon I spoke at an event called ‘Taking Play Seriously’ in Melbourne, with a mixed audience of professionals, volunteers and parents. It followed my talk last week here at the Playgroup Australia conference. In the Q & A afterwards, one attendee – a local government employee and mother of three – told the audience how she had heard me speak last Thursday. Then two days later, her 10-year-old son had asked her if he could go to the local skatepark on his own.

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