Recreation
Recreation for All
Many people with disabilities attempt to participate in “regular” recreation programs in their communities with little success and end up feeling more tolerated than valued, losing out on positive aspects of recreational programs like camaraderie and teambuilding.
Inclusion takes participation one step further by making it meaningful. It involves communication and collaboration by all parties involved including participants with and without disabilities, activity coordinators, and if the participants are children, their parents.
Most people who coordinate recreational programs are open to having people with disabilities participate. They simply do not know how to make that happen. In order for inclusion to work, every participant must be valued. The following tips will help you start an inclusive recreation program or adapt an existing program to be more inclusive:
- Focus on the participants’ abilities rather than their disabilities.
- Collaborate with the activity coordinators about ways that accommodations may be made.
- Involve the whole group in developing creative strategies to accommodate an individual’s disabilities.
- Communicate with all participants about the program to develop community awareness and build trust among participants.
- Collect information about the program’s successes and failures so that future programs can best meet the needs of all participants.
Updated March 2007
View a Printer-Friendly Version
Go back to top