A Hungarian start-up has designed playground equipment for disabled children to allow them to play alongside able-bodied peers.
MagikMe has created various ‘toys’ for both disabled and non-disabled children to play with each other on Hungarian playgrounds.
The concept is the brainchild of entrepreneur, but most importantly mother, Eszter Harsanyi, 44, who came up with the idea after watching her disabled son struggle with playdates with his older brother.
Harsanyi’s son Áron, seven, was born with epilepsy and was unable to play with others - he had to sit and watch children tackle climbing frames and other toys. That’s where Harsanyi came up with the idea for the MagikMe equipment.
"Disabled kids have the right to play too," Harsanyi, one of the co-founders of MagikMe, told AFP.
"We were frustrated that our kids -- disabled and non-disabled -- played happily together at home but couldn't at the playground," she said.
There are now 30 playgrounds in Budapest -- plus another 30 nationwide -- that have installed MagikMe equipment to allow children of all abilities to play together.