Project Description
Challenge
It can be challenging for children with disabilities to participate in leisure activities such as summer camps and art classes. Parents often struggle to find programs that are close to where they live, accessible, suitable for their needs and abilities, and in line with their interests.
Project Summary
The Jooay App (jooay.com) was officially launched in 2015 to address this challenge. The team led by Dr. Keiko Shikako-Thomas (McGill University) and Dr. Annette Majnemer (McGill University) designed the app with input from over 200 occupational therapists, researchers, parents, youth, and policymakers. The app is free to use and contains 2,000+ leisure activities that are geared or adapted for children with disabilities in all ten provinces. When a parent logs in, they allow the app to use their location, which enables the app to search for activities nearby. They can then filter based on activity type (camps, sports, arts and others) and disability and can also see program details (e.g., cost, dates and contact information).
The Jooay team is continuously adding and updating activities. However, parents, professionals, and organizations themselves can suggest activities in their area and leave ratings and reviews as a way of sharing information with others. Recent updates also include a chat function that allows parents to communicate with one another. The app now has a built-in notification system that tells where there are new activities added nearby. The app is available for iOS and Android and has expanded beyond Canada and into Australia. Since March 2020, we have been listing “Play from home” inclusive leisure activities for children and youth on the app and to Jooay’s Facebook group, “Community Connecting to Play.”
Result
To date, the app has reached more than 3,100 users. It has helped parents, educators, and healthcare professionals find local opportunities for kids with disabilities to get involved in leisure activities. Participating in these kinds of activities promotes healthy development in children with disabilities. The ultimate goal is for the Jooay team to form partnerships with community organizations and municipal governments to encourage all leisure activities to be inclusive and adaptable. In June 2019, at the United Nations Conference of the States Parties on Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Jooay App was mentioned by the Canadian Minister of Disability and former Minister of Sports, Carla Qualtrough, as one of the critical strategies in Canada to promote the participation of children with disabilities in sports and leisure. Also, the Canadian Public Health Association introduced Jooay as one of the three promising practices in Canada which promote physical activity. Information about Jooay is shared continuously through social media, interviews, seminars, and different radio and TV channels.
Funding
This project was part of the larger “Childhood Disabilities Communications Hub.” The hub was funded a total of $306,598 by participating partners.
Team
Principal Investigator
Keiko Shikako-Thomas, McGill University
Collaborating investigators
Annette Majnemer, McGill University
Stephanie Glegg, University of British Columbia
Tiiu Poldma, University of Montreal
Janet McCabe, Ontario Tech
Lesley Wiart, University of Alberta
Research team
Mehrnoosh Movahed, McGill University
Farhin Chowdhury, McGill University
Luca Martial, University of Cambridge
Valérie Grand’Maison, McGill University
Inna Bacearnicova, Centre de recherche du CHUM
Ecenaz Albayrak, McGill University
Partners
Community-Partner: Elsa Lavigne, Marla Cable, Michelle McClure, Dave Sora
Clinician-Partner: Melanie Bergthorson
Educator-Partner: Robert Simpson
Nicholas Katalifos, Joanne Charron, Rachel Martens, Jess Silver
Organization-Partner
AlterGo
Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Associations
Canadian Coach Association
Carrefour Action Famille Municipal
Ministère de la Famille du Quebec
