“But tell me, where do the children play?” Disabled children and the right to play.

This chapter considers how disabled children's right to play is enshrined within international law. It explains how play has been defined/interpreted by the Committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and why their interpretation is important. A narrative review of existing knowledge about the barriers to play for disabled children is provided, focusing on literatures that consider disabled children's access to and inclusion in play at home, school and in the community (e.g. at public playgrounds). Close attention is given to a set of barriers resulting from the discursive framing of disabled children's play within the health and psy-sciences (especially, educational psychology). The chapter includes two case-studies. The first provides insights into the barriers to play for disabled children living in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The second considers children's capacity for “design thinking” and why it is important, and valuable, to involve them in inclusive play design projects. Interspersed throughout the chapter are vignettes derived from the research journals/field-notes of the author, recorded during her observations of disabled children playing or in play situations. The vignettes are included in order to (a) bring the voices and perspectives of children into this chapter and/or (b) to provide insights into the ways that disabled children's agency is revealed in and through their play. The chapter concludes by asking how we might emancipate play for disabled children and provides practical recommendations.