Articles
Finding Excellence In Exercise
In 1983, members of a local disability community helped bring a Wheelchair Accessible Heart Trail to John Prince Park, located in Lake Worth, Fla.
Point To The Possibilities
Water, food, air, and shelter are essential for survival. But to thrive instead of just surviving, a person needs more, such as sleep, clothing, and education.
Accessible Facilities
More than three decades ago the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. At the time, it was groundbreaking, ushering in an era in which accessible restrooms, wheelchair ramps for public facilities, curb cuts, and other means of accommodation were mandated.
Club All-Access
The Grapevine Parks and Recreation’s Club All-Access in Texas is an adaptive recreation program for adults ages 18 and older with special needs. The purpose of the program is to create opportunities for participants to engage in a variety of activities geared towards vocational readiness, health and wellness, independent living, and life skills, along with creating authentic social connections with peers.
For The First Time
Runners at the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Team Relay made history in the world’s first-ever, sensory-inclusive marathon in Akron, Ohio, in September 2019—thanks to a partnership with
Inclusive = Independence
In 1996, when her daughter graduated from Central High School in Macon, Ga., Jean Denerson was concerned that her teen with special needs wouldn’t have enough to do anymore. And then the retired
Digging In
Eight children walk into a room after working off excess energy in the sensbory garden and begin to wash their hands before preparing for the week’s recipe—loaded baked potatoes with vegetables—something
Leo’s Landing
If childhood had a Bill of Rights, among them would be “the right to play” and “the right to play with your family and friends.”
Welcoming And Whimsical
As aquatic-therapy centers grow in response to the need for rejuvenation and social wellness, they are also growing for children with rehabilitation needs and developmental disorders. Colorful
Ride The Wave
A television documentary in early 2008 inspired Julio Magrisso, Assistant Director for the city of Miami Beach Parks & Recreation Department, to pursue the idea of a surf camp for children with autism.
Focus On Ability, Not Age
What happens when you take children with physical and emotional handicaps to a swimming pool? They often become confident and socialized and more able in other areas of their lives. At least that is what
Raising Disability Awareness
As children gather on Saturday mornings in the Donny C. Thiry Memorial gymnasium in the town of Hamburg, N.Y., Senior Community Center, they greet their friends with bursts of
Sensibly Staffing Adapted Programs
Adapted programs offer recreational opportunities for individuals with special needs. The programs provide a safe, fun environment that offers participants time to enjoy a wide variety
Simple Solutions Make A Big Impact
Centennial Beach, a historic aquatic facility in Naperville, Ill., has been a favorite destination for families for 85 years.
All Together Now
The Rotary Club of San Jose, Calif., asked the landscape architecture firm, PGAdesign, to create a playground that would be accessible to children with the widest possible range of abilities.
Getting To Know Each Other
It was a question worth asking, and this student wasn’t holding back. He was chatting with Corporal Randy Green, a Maryland-National Capital Park Police officer since 2006, and the question seemed most important.
Friends For Life
After seeing a video in 2010 of The Miracle League, a baseball league for special needs children and adults, I, along with Mayor Harold Perrin and Softball Coordinator Sharron Turman, agreed we needed to bring that type of inclusive recreation to the city of Jonesboro, Ark.
Expanding Adapted Programs
The coordinators of the Fairfax County Park Authority’s (FCPA) Americans With Disabilities Act were seeking partners in 2013 for new, adapted programming ideas.
The Art Of Adaptability
Recreational opportunities for those with special needs are really not that different than what is offered on a daily basis at any recreation center. They just take some adaptation.