Leisure for all? - accessibility analysis of some parks in Curitiba, Parana State

• Main Authors: Marina Redekop Cassapian, Simone Rechia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de São Carlos 2014-04-01
• Series: Cadernos de Terapia Ocupacional
• Subjects: Urban Development; Leisure Activities; Disabled Persons; Social Inclusion; Accessibility
• Online Access: http://www.cadernosdeterapiaocupacional.ufscar.br/index.php/cadernos/article/view/559/485

This article aims to reflect about the accessibility of some public spaces in Curitiba and the right to leisure of the members of a wheelchair users group called “A União faz a Força”. To this end, the following specific objectives were established: identify leisure spaces known by the group “A União faz a Força”; analyze the accessibility of these spaces using a script; and investigate the facilities and difficulties encountered by the group members in using these leisure spaces. This investigation was developed based on a qualitative approach, using the triangulation of data collected in semi-structured interviews with wheelchair users, the systematic observation of four leisure spaces, as well as the rides taken by the group at the parks as theoretical referential. It is worth mentioning that, although Curitiba presents facilities, it also presents many difficulties related to accessibility, which reduce the mobility of disabled persons in the city and hinder their access to leisure installations. Observing the public spaces, we also found several obstacles that prevent the use of recreational equipment and restrooms. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the lack of accessibility observed in these spaces and in the urban mobility in Curitiba reduces the choice of leisure and restricts the right to leisure for the members of the group “A União faz a Força”.