Co-Creating "It's My Turn to Play"

Co-Creating "It's My Turn to Play"

A woman and a boy wearing sunglasses, smiling outdoors in a green park with trees and colorful balloons in the background.

Background

In Uganda, an estimated 13% of children live with a disability, with many facing physical impairments such as clubfoot, spina bifida, and limb deformities (UNICEF Uganda & UBOS, 2017). Despite national commitments to disability rights, children and youth with physical disabilities continue to face exclusion in education, social life, and especially community play.

Challenge

While sport can foster confidence, connection, and inclusion, many children with physical disabilities remain excluded due to stigma, harmful stereotypes, and limiting community attitudes. In Uganda, where sport holds deep cultural and social value, these barriers often lead to emotional isolation and internalized shame. Recognizing this, Canada-Uganda Sport & Exercise Medicine (CUSEM) created an accessible intervention to challenge harmful narratives, build empathy, and spark grassroots dialogue.

Approach

In 2021, as Co-Founder and Project Director of CUSEM, Jo-Ann led a participatory storytelling initiative in collaboration with CoRSU Rehabilitation Hospital in Kisubi. Together, Jo-Ann and  CoRSU colleagues led a process to co-create a children’s book titled “It’s My Turn to Play”, inspired by the lived experiences of children undergoing surgery and/or rehabilitation at CoRSU.

Twenty youth aged 10–16 participated in a focus group discussion (FGD) where they candidly shared stories of exclusion, ridicule, and hope, particularly around being excluded from sport and play in their villages and classrooms. These narratives inspired the book’s fictional protagonist: a young girl with clubfoot who longs to play football but faces resistance from her family and community. After surgery, she begins a journey of physical recovery, social inclusion, and self-confidence. As project lead, Jo-Ann:

  • Designed and led a participatory storytelling initiative centering children’s lived experiences;

  • Facilitated an FGD  with youth undergoing rehabilitation to identify themes of exclusion, resilience, and belonging;

  • Co-authored and shaped the book’s narrative structure and themes;

  • Managed partnerships with CoRSU Hospital, educators, and community organizations for story development and distribution; and,

  • Oversaw printing, distribution, and integration of the book into programming and advocacy.

A woman in a white tank top hugs a girl in a red dress with black polka dots, both smiling and embracing warmly outdoors under a wooden shelter, with another woman and children in the background.
A woman in a white shirt and face mask is standing at a desk while a young man in a yellow Uganda Olympic team shirt, cap, and face mask is sitting and writing in a book. There is a banner in the background that supports sports and exercise medicine development in Uganda.
Draft version of the children's book called "It's My Turn to Play" - a book about the challenges children with physical disabilities in Uganda face when trying to integrate in their communities, particularly play sport and activities.
A group of people, including children, gathered around a table with a birthday cake decorated with Minnie Mouse and stars, celebrating outdoors under a thatched roof. The children and adults are smiling and wearing face masks.

Outcomes & Impact

Over 5,000 copies of “It’s My Turn to Play” were printed and distributed across classrooms, hospitals, and nonprofit programs in Uganda. The book became a tool for outreach, sparking conversations in schools, amongst non-profit leaders and within communities about equity in play and the rights of children with disabilities. Grounded in real voices and local context, the project demonstrated the power of storytelling as a vehicle for social change, and reaffirmed that every child has the right to belong, to play, and to be seen.

Progress | Decisions | Solutions