When Bodhi Dreyfus-Ballesi, 25, is happy, he will jump, clap and slap the top of his head.
Now for the first time, his non-verbal expressions will be used as vital feedback to help inform the design of an all-ages and all-abilities playground.
It is part of a new University of Wollongong study aiming to consult young adults with a severe intellectual disability about their wants and needs.
"Given the fact that my son and all of his mates get taken to the playground all of the time, I thought it was high time that we really address their needs," senior lecturer in English language and linguistics, Shoshana Dreyfus said.
"We will observe them — we will take them to state-of-the-art playgrounds and watch them playing on the equipment.
"We're going to see how often they go back to equipment, which ones they avoid, and show them photos of different playground equipment to see how they respond."
'Groundbreaking' research
Dr Dreyfus said about 30 young adults with a severe intellectual disability would be consulted as part of the project.
The Disability Trust's speech pathologist Tarryn Bracken, who is part of the research team, said the study was groundbreaking.
"This has never been done," Ms Bracken said.
"Generally, if we're going to find out information, we would ask the person's family or the people who work with them. So this is the first time we're trying to incorporate in the research what they [the young adult] want to say.
"Even if it might be a little bit trickier or difficult to hear the voices of people who don't use verbal speech, it's still really important to capture their opinion."
Once the data has been collected, it will be used to design the inclusive playground in Wollongong, NSW, in 2021.
'The forgotten cohort'
Dr Dreyfus said she hoped the project, funded by the university's community engagement scheme, would give her son Bodhi, and others like him, a voice.
"I think sometimes in the disability sector, people with severe intellectual disabilities are the forgotten cohort," she said.
"I definitely hope that not only will people start to consult with people with severe intellectual disability more, but also that there'll be more adult-sized playgrounds for them to play on."
Occupational therapist Kelly Horvat, also part of the research team, said she hoped a similar consultation process could be used to help design public infrastructure across Australia in the future.
"If we're targeting to build something towards an audience, why don't we ask them? Why don't we ask them what they want, what it is that they're going to benefit from?" she said.
"This is a great opportunity to actually do that.
"Hopefully, we'll get enough of sample size to be able to collect a good robust amount of data to be able to put some good recommendations forward for future opportunities like this."
