Landscape Architecture's Role in Facilitating the Use of Bahrain Parks by People with Physical Disabilities

In the last few decades, the authorities in Bahrain have paid intense attention to people with different disabilities in general and physical disabilities in particular. This attention matches the approval of the resolution on the Human Rights of Different Disabilities People, which includes people with disabilities such as blindness, hearing impairment, movement disability, being deaf, and partial or total speech impairment. Moreover, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic results worldwide, outdoor spaces were recommended for practicing entertainment activities. Consequently, authorities instructed park designers to consider the various physically disabled users in their designs, such as visual impairment, deaf people, etc. There is still an obstacle to the absence of clear design guidelines regarding this issue and the necessary precautions. Consequently, it decreased the level of practice for people with different physical disabilities, light sports, simple fitness, playing joyful games, and participating in entertainment activities, improving their physical performance and sustaining a suitable level of self-confidence and joy. Unfortunately, guidelines for choosing the appropriate equipment for different types of physically disabled users are absent. These obstacles are shown comprehensively in the current state of most of the parks in Bahrain. The research examines the issue of different kinds of physical disabilities in designing parks. Therefore, the study objective is to search for the missing considerations in design and implementation practices that create deficiencies that negatively impact the usability of parks for people with disabilities. The research hypothesis is that there is a necessity to follow specific design principles while emerging the existing park or, in the case of creating new parks to support different disabilities, which will improve their physical and psychological conditions and positively impact practicing their life and become a productive member in the community rather than be problem cases for themselves and their sponsors. Consequently, it will improve their family status. The study concludes with design guidelines that facilitate the designer's job, considering the needs of physical disabilities in design parks. Therefore, this research used a mixed method approach as its main methodology through a theoretical literature review and an analytical study.