The provision of organized community recreation programs for individuals with disabilities is a relatively recent development. The Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA) in Highland Park, Ill., celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1990. It was among the first comprehensive community-based programs developed to meet the needs of residents from several communities along the North Shore of Chicago. The impetus to bring together the necessary resources to coordinate year-round opportunities originated from the local school district, Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED), parents and recreation professionals who realized as early as 1967 that individuals with disabilities were not represented in the activities of the park districts.

Following a year's study in 1968, Earle Hodgen, the former superintendent of the Park District of Highland Park, identified the need to consolidate resources to offer recreation in communities of close geographic proximity. This approach was necessary to compensate for the relatively small number of children and adults with disabilities in a particular community, the scarcity of trained personnel, the expense of specially designated facilities, and the need to offer a range of programs to accommodate various participant integration abilities. Twenty years later, these pioneering statements are used as justification to create community therapeutic recreation programs in urban, suburban and rural communities throughout the U.S.

Beginnings of new legislation

Hodgen's efforts culminated in a proposal outlining the unique operational procedures of special recreation districts (SRA's). From the support of parents, school personnel, recreation professionals, and the work of Hodgen, the groundwork was laid to enable the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives to pass permissive legislation allowing park districts and municipal recreation departments to join together to operate recreation programs for individuals with disabilities. NSSRA was then formed from the collective efforts of eight park districts: Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Northbrook, Wilmette, Winnetka, and Highwood. Presently, 10 park districts support NSSRA including seven of the original park districts, with the exception of Highwood. Kenilworth, Lake Bluff and Northfield have become member districts of SRA.

Hodgen's 1969 proposal contained guidelines that have been used as the model to plan and implement community-based therapeutic recreation programs. Operating revenue is generated from the assessed property evaluations of the member districts. Program fees and charges, and fund-raising projects, offer additional income sources. Member park districts provide programming facilities and areas. Additionally, publicity on NSSRA programs and services appear in member district brochures and is presented during their board meetings. Representatives from each member district comprise the NSSRA Board of Directors. Member district recreation personnel also serve as the support staff to the integration of participants into community programs. The association with member districts contributes to resolution of such mutual concerns as transportation, insurance, risk management, accessibility, reimbursement schedules, and personnel policies and procedures. The marriage between recreation and therapeutic recreation is most evident in the working relationships that bind NSSRA with its member park district.

First program was experimental day camp

The first program offered by NSSRA was an experimental day camp operated in the summer of 1969. Like other community programs in existence at the time, focus was on children and youth. Adults were either living in institutions or represented a smaller proportion of the potential population since fewer individuals with disabilities lived to adulthood. Hodgen's proposal which recommended a four-step approach to initialing programs, was reflective of the types of services prevalent in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Stage One was the hiring of an administrator and investigation of the need to establish recreation programs for preschool children. Stage Two was the development of year-round programs for school-age children with mental disabilities. In Stage Three, programs were extended to individuals with physical disabilities. In the final stage, young adults and adults were to be included in programs. Community programs currently in existence tended to include larger numbers of individuals with mental disabilities followed by those with physical and emotional disabilities.

The nature and changes of NSSRA programs and services since its inception reflect the development and continuing sophistication of community-based programs over the last 20 years. Along with day camp, initial NSSRA offerings included arts and

crafts, organized games, swimming, field trips, roller skating and bowling. Current offerings have been enhanced to include service alternatives along a continuum from skill development programs to leisure education and community integration experiences like birthday parties at McDonald's Restaurants, visits to theaters and museums and trips to scenic and entertainments centers in the U.S.

To be admitted to the first NSSRA programs, participants were required to register, be toilet trained, and required to identify appropriate activities if their disability was epilepsy. These initial criteria have been expanded to incorporate guidelines of risk management and quality assurance, along with registration, participants are assessed to identify their leisure abilities and interests. Community and social skill assessments include identification of communication methods, self-care skills, and level of independence in areas like transportation, money management and protection or assertiveness. All participants are requested to provide medical and behavioral management information to assist staff in their recommendation of age and disability appropriate activities.

Key success is quality staff

The key to NSSRA's success has been a commitment to hire and retain quality staff, offer high caliber programs and address the needs of individual participants as they arise. These goals are similar to statements found in their own Gold Medal Award presentation and that of their member park districts. Persons qualified as Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS) and Certified Leisure Professionals (CLP) are hired and provided with formal and informal professional development opportunities like attending the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Congress, the Illinois Park and Recreation Annual Conference and workshops on creative writing, risk management or integration. Programs and staff are continuously evaluated and monitored to ensure compliance with activity and personal goals and objectives and quality control measures.

Individual participant needs are identified through community needs assessments conducted in member districts, consumer input meetings, random sample phone interviews, and consultation with peers in hospitals and other social service agencies. Innovative programs resulting from these activities have included the provision of transportation; joint construction of accessible playgrounds and facilities; employment of individuals with disabilities as Counselors-in-Training (CIT); leisure education classes offered during the school year to supplement academic experiences; the provisions of home bound and respite programs from preschool through senior adults; and joint sponsorship of drop-in centers and day camps for adults with emotional and multiple disabilities.

Just as in the past, economic, political and social trends are impacting the future initiatives of NSSRA and other community programs for individuals with disabilities. Four major trends affecting the direction and scope of these programs and services during then 1990s include: implementation of The Americans With Disabilities Act; integration of individuals with disabilities into all aspects of life, particularly leisure; increased numbers of individuals with disabilities residing in the community; and the presence of individuals with more diverse and severe physical, emotional and social needs also remaining in their communities. The Act was signed into law by President Bush recently. This Act prevents discrimination in areas of housing, employment, transportation, communication and other life opportunities for all individuals with disabilities, including AIDS. While the exact interpretation of the law remains uncertain, the impact is likely to require community recreation personnel to further address accessibility, integration, employment opportunities, and the provision of appropriate service alternatives.

The integration of youth and adults into community recreation continues to gain momentum suprred on by recent legislation, skyrocketing health care costs and consequent cost containment measures like discharge planning and increased advocacy efforts of organized consumers and parents' guardians. This initiative provides NSSRA staff the opportunity to participate with their member park districts in interagency communication and education to develop cooperative policies and programming alternatives. Within NSSRA, staff responsibilities will be redesigned to include skill development in referral, training and consultation.

Planning for the future

Community recreation agencies planning their future will see increasing numbers of individuals with disabilities who are also more severely involved requesting recreation experiences. Research and medical advancements have enabled early identification of potential disabilities and increased the longevity of persons with formerly life threatening illnesses and disabilities. Additionally, other factors like drug abuse, divorce and social and economic issues such as stress, low income, aging, and cultural diversity contribute to new "at risk" individuals with particular recreation needs. These individuals reside in communities and spend the majority of their time near their homes. To accommodate the needs of more individuals with more intense programming needs, NSSRA hiring and training procedures will incorporate specialty training in behavior management, assessment and evaluation and creative adaptive programming; staffing patterns will be altered to include varying staff-to-participant ratios, formal networking efforts designed to enable transitional planning and community-wide use of support resources will become an agency priority; and, renewed efforts in alternative funding and fund-raising will be undertaken by management.

Community park and recreation historians and planners who review the progress of NSSRA view, in retrospect, the history of community recreation for individuals with disabilities. A study of their present and future initiatives offers a proactive view of directives in this leisure speciality area. The unique perspective of NSSRA lies in their sound financial base and management by futuristic-oriented board and staff. The flexibility and energy displayed as the agency has matured exemplify the quality that should be evident in all community park and recreation experiences for individuals with disabilities.

About the Authors
Marcia Jean Carter, CTRS, CLP, is Associate Professor at the University of Northern Iowa. She has been involved in community therapeutic recreation programs in Dallas, Cincinnati and Highland Park, III., with public, private and special recreation associations. She has authored texts and professional articles on credentialing and programming in therapeutic recreation.
Carolyn J. Nagle, CTRS, CLP, is Executive Director of Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA) in Highland Park, III. She has served as superintendent of recreation at NSSRA, and as director of the S.O.A.R. Program of Bloomington/Normal Parks and Recreation Departments.