NRPA works to create access for people with disabilities - NRPA Perspectives - Brief Article

Parks & Recreation, June, 2002 by David O. Lose

Disabilities affect one-fifth of all Americans. That's an incredible number of people--in fact, half of seniors 65 and older have some kind of disability. What's more, this statistic can only be expected to increase as the baby boomer generation ages. Parks and recreation can play a vital role in maintaining the quality of life for people with all kinds of disabilities--and I'm pleased to say that NRPA is working on new initiatives to serve this important population even better.

As an organization, the National Recreation and Park Association has always been committed to therapeutic recreation and universal access to public spaces. For years, we've encouraged compliance with the American's with Disabilities Act among our vast network of recreational systems. NRPA is currently developing new materials to help parks and recreation agencies respond to new regulations issued by the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. These regulations govern accessibility standards for recreation facilities. Shortly thereafter the Board will publish draft regulations concerning the accessibility of "outdoor developed areas."

The National Recreation and Park Association will help you respond to these regulations by providing American's with Disabilities Act brochures, booklets and display materials; posters; technical assistance bulletins; and publicity kits. We'll also serve as a clearinghouse of information and technical assistance by introducing a series of articles in various NPRA publications. In addition, we'll store information on the NRPA Web site, including technical assistance bulletin boards and listservs. Once a training model is developed, it will be delivered in conjunction with existing NRPA national and regional schools and institutes, as well as state affiliate conferences.

You've probably read in both the March and April 2002 issues of Parks & Recreation that NRPA is working with the U.S. Disabled Athletes Fund, Inc., (USDAF) to launch a national community-based sports program for people with disabilities. This program is modeled after the pilot developed in Georgia following the tremendous success of the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games, which was the first such Games held in the United States. The organizing committee of the Games established the USDAF, and worked with the Georgia Recreation and Park Association to deliver the pilot. Named BlazeSports after the mascot of the 1996 Olympics, the national program will be implemented in a three-year period through NRPA Member agencies across the nation.

The successful pilot program was funded by the state of Georgia. It included year-round community programs, summer camps, sports camps, training clinics, youth sports teams, and youth and adult competitions. Georgia's successful experience with the program shows how well it works--NRPA is a great partner to nationally respected organizations and our loyal members.

The National Recreation and Park Association is about all people coming together--people of all races, people with disabilities, old people, young people--building stronger communities, together. Better health, more jobs, cleaner environment, good citizens. That's what parks and recreation is all about.

So we welcome this opportunity to partner with USDAF and the BlazeSports Clubs of America to further promote an active lifestyle for all Americans. Eight charter communities, located in such diverse states as Texas, Illinois, Nevada, Oklahoma, Florida and Virginia, have already signed up to host BlazeSports Clubs--we congratulate these forward-thinking communities, and urge you to consider joining their ranks. To find out more about the program, contact USDAF at 770-850-8199, blazesports@blazesports.com, or check the Web site at www.blaze sports.com. It's a unique opportunity to serve your community even better, and we encourage you to take the first step today.

David O. Lose, FASLA
NRPA Chair