KNR 273: Recreation Inclusion

Sylvester, Voelkl, & Ellis, 2001

What is Inclusion?

Inclusion is the act of engaging people with disabilities in all our daily activities at school, at work, at home, and in the community

Inclusion Network

Focus of KNR 270

What is Inclusion?

Inclusive leisure experiences encourage and enhance opportunities for people of varying abilities to participate and interact in life’s activities together with dignity.Inclusion enhances individual’s potential for full and active participation in leisure activities and experiences.

NRPA Statement on Inclusion, 1999

What is Inclusion?

Recreation inclusion refers to empowering persons who have disabling conditions to become valued and active members of their communities. Persons with disabilities should have the same chances for quality of life as persons without disabilities.

Sylvester, Voelkl, & Ellis, 2001

Who’s Responsible for Inclusion?

Some argue that general recreation professionals are responsible for inclusion NOT therapeutic recreation specialists

Austin, 1999 Bullock & Mahon, 2000 Smith, Austin, & Kennedy, 2001

Who’s Responsible for Inclusion?

Others argue that SUCCESSFUL inclusion depends on general recreation professionals and therapeutic recreation specialists working together.

Germ & Schleien, 1997 Klitzing, 2002

Sylvester, Voelkl, & Ellis

In our view, recreation inclusion is the most important and difficult challenge facing therapeutic recreation.Rehabilitation should be measured not by sheer functionality alone, but by the quality of life that it facilitates.Professional practices must be developed that result in successful inclusion of PWD in leisure programs and activities that reflect their needs and interests. (P. 232)

Inclusion & TR Settings

In traditional agencies Community reintegration Discharge plan, transition plan,

programs

In community-based care Shorter stays Not cured, but coping with disabilities

In community agencies

Selected Approaches

Zero-exclusion Programs planned to include

everyone

Reverse mainstreaming Specialized programs structured to

include people without disabilities

Integration of generic recreation programs

Community Reintegration

Community Integration Program Armstrong & Lauzen, 1994

Modules Community environment (safety,

emergency preparation, survival skills) Cultural activity (theatre, library, sports) Community activity (mall, grocery store) Transportation (bus, taxi, personal travel) Physical activity (w/c sports, aquatics) Independent activity (client’s choice)

Community Development

Bold approachNot treat/rehabilitate “citizens” but rehabilitate communities to make them more accommodatingFocus is on community building Promoting relationships &

interdependence between citizens with and without disabilities

Community Development (Cont.)

2 components of community building Community development

Prepare citizens to make decisions & take action to improve own QofL

Community organization Dealing directly with injustice Educating the community, lobbying,

advocating, protesting Role that often exceeds tradition

boundaries of TR programming

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

Howe-Murphy & Charboneau, 1987Ecological perspective Interdependence Social systems theory Generic model or way of thinking

about scope of practice Importance of environment/context

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

Therapeutic recreation is a planned process of intervention directed toward specific environmental or individual change. Goals Maximize quality of life Enhance leisure functioning of the individual Promote acceptance of persons with

disabilities within the community (pp. 9-10)

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

4 global goals Maximize individual capabilities for

growth and creative adaptation Increase the supportive properties of

the environment Minimize the effects of individual

limitations Reduce or eliminate environmental

blocks & obstacles to growth and development

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

Goals directed toward individuals Increase mastery in a social world Increase self-esteem Develop coping strategies Increase social interaction skills Increase confidence and ability to

assume control

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

Goals directed toward environment Increase range of leisure services and

opportunities available Educate identified groups in the

community Reduce architectural barriers Design physical environments to

support individual independence and human interaction

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

Goals directed toward interactive process Connect people to resources Assist in integrating persons with and

without disabilities Maximize impact of interactions

based upon values of equality, mutual respect, and normalization

Therapeutic Recreation Intervention: An Ecological Perspective

Service providers are seen as change agentsWe not only stimulate the development of individuals but we intervene within the community as a whole

TR Models & Inclusion

Problems Direct services Importance of changing the consumer Connected with traditional health care

settings Basically nonexistent

TR Inclusion Model

Inclusive Recreation Selected

TRDirect Services

TRIndirect Services

Client Outcomes:Quality of LifeFun & Enjoyment

Belonging & CommunitySelf-Determination

This I Believe – Nancy Navar

Different models of therapeutic recreation practice enable different clients with different needs in different settings to benefit from a model that has meaning in that context. Just as different schools of thought exist in other professions (e.g., psychology), various schools of thought can coexist within the profession of therapeutic recreation.