The environment of equal opportunities is created by the students of Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI). The aim of the project is to develop a detailed layout of an inclusive playground with subsequent practical implementation in the form of a play space for safe, equal and comfortable interaction of children with different physical, sensory and mental characteristics.
"There is a lot of talk about inclusion in education now, but the urban environment is still largely inaccessible to children with disabilities. Our Equal Opportunities project is an attempt to change this. The university supported us, we won the second place in the project competition, and now we have the resource to move on," said Alina Demidovich, the captain of the team, a student of the Faculty of Automation and Computer Engineering.
The task of the Impulse of Good team is to design an accessible, safe, inclusive platform. The project creates an environment of equal opportunities from the very beginning — inclusion is laid at the design stage. The students took into account various health conditions and took this into account when designing the layout so that every child could feel comfortable. A special child does not observe from the sidelines, but plays with everyone — no isolation.
As Alina Demidovich notes, the layout is a functional spatial model that clearly demonstrates the key principles, zoning and operation of a real inclusive playground. The idea of the project is that all the elements were originally designed to be universal and do not require individual customization for a particular child. There are no "regular" or "special" zones here — all objects are integrated into a single game space.
The layout is divided into functional zones: sensory integration, motor activity, calm play and socialization and motor skills development. According to the developers, it is important to show that the physical environment organizes social interaction. Therefore, the layout includes two—way game panels, a sandbox with circular access, a carousel with seating and a wheelchair - all these elements are specially designed to encourage children to communicate, help each other and create games together.
By now, drawings and 3D models of all the elements are ready - slides, swings, carousels, tactile zones. The immediate task is to make a physical mock—up for demonstration to potential investors. In the future, students plan to participate in grant competitions and look for partners to implement the project in the urban environment. The ultimate goal is to create a real playground and prove that equal opportunities are real.
At the university student development competition held in December 2025, the team competed in the junior league and took 2nd place in the Engineering Project nomination.