 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Disabled adults 'LEAP' into leisure
This unique program provides training which assists handicapped By Susan K. Balling It's a Friday night, and you and a friend have nothing to do. You page through the paper to the movie section and then call the theater for show times. Sounds easy enough, right? Maybe not, if you have never been taught how to use a newspaper or a telephone. Many adults with a mental or physical handicap would have great difficulty with this simple scenario. Thus, in 1983 the Leisure Education and Awareness Program (LEAP) for adults with a disability was initiated by the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association (NEDSRA). Purpose The purpose of LEAP is to provide an opportunity for handicapped adults to explore leisure concepts and attitudes, develop an awareness of community resources and increase skills in planning for their free time. As a provider of community-based recreation for the handicapped, NEDSRA saw the same adults continually register for its programs. It was staffs opinion that many of these adults could make more independent decisions regarding the use of their free time if they were given the proper training and orientation to community resources.
LEAP emerged as a carefully designed plan to help each adult reach his greatest leisure potential. Assessment LEAP begins with a personal in-home assessment of each individual, which may also include family members. A trained NEDSRA staff member discusses and explores with the participant and family current and past leisure patterns, likes, dislikes, limitations, desires and interests. Information is collected on an assessment form, and staff assist the participant in setting three leisure-oriented goals to be pursued during the skill development phase of LEAP. Based on the assessment, each individual is grouped with six to nine other adults of similar needs and interests to form a LEAP skill development group. Adults with a physical limitation are grouped separately from mentally limited adults. Skill development groups These groups of seven to ten adults meet for two to three hours a week for eight weeks at a local, convenient and accessible recreation facility. The first two to three weeks are spent discussing each individual's leisure goals, focusing on and choosing activities to be planned and implemented by the group, and practicing planning skills. Learning basic skills — such as finding the entertainment section in the newspaper or using the phone book to look up a restaurant — require vary- Illinois Parks and Recreation 15 January/February 1987 ing degrees of practice and training for each individual. Simulated telephone conversations occur repeatedly before many participants feel comfortable in calling a theater or local pool. Discussions regarding transportation options are also a big part of the training. Members of the group must decide on costs and practicality of cabs, buses, trains, accessible buses, township transport services, etc. Actual use of these various options occurs during the last three weeks of the program. Planned activities are implemented during the last four to five weeks of the programs. It is the group's responsibility to plan every event, trip or activity, with each individual having specific duties. Staff facilitating the group help guide the members, but do not make decisions or do the activity planning. Some of the events planned by various LEAP groups include a trip to Sears Tower, lunch at Denny's, an ethnic cooking demonstration, shopping at a mail or a trip to the Arboretum. Accessibility concerns
The LEAP groups that include adults with a physical impairment also learn how to explore and obtain information regarding the accessibility of each building or site to be visited. Practice sessions and simulated exercises teach the adults the proper questions to ask about accessible parking, restrooms, aisles, doorways and seating areas. Shirley, a program participant, noted in her evaluation: "LEAP helped me learn to plan ahead and to be aware of building accessibility." To assist adults in better utilizing community facilities, NEDSRA staff have also surveyed most local sites for their degree of handicapped accessibility.
Evaluation and referral After the eight-week skill development program has ended, participants, as a group, discuss their experiences and knowledge. This enables NEDSRA staff to improve each future program. Time is also scheduled to discuss with each individual the degree to which his three leisure goals were met, future participation in LEAP or other NEDSRA programs, or options in the community. The resulting referral directs the participants/family to additional training sessions with a follow-up skill development group and, if necessary, to a more independent pursuit of activities through NEDSRA, the local park district, YMCA, or similar agency. It has been found that most adults need to complete at least two eight-week skill group before they feel comfortable advancing to other programs. Impact on NEDSRA programs Enabling adults with a disability to better plan for their own free time has resulted in several changes in the way NEDSRA's general adult programs are planned. Two major special events, the Valentine's dance and the spring formal, are now planned by a committee of adult participants with staff guidance. Decisions regarding facility and band selection, decorations, refreshments, etc., are made by the adults themselves with their newly acquired planning abilities. Last September, adults with physical impairments met with NEDSRA staff in a two-hour brainstorming and Illinois Parks and Recreation 16 January/February 1987 planning session which largely influenced NEDSRA's program offerings this winter. Thus, the LEAP philosophy is influencing all NEDSRA program planning, giving participants more of a voice and vote as to leisure opportunities available to them. Funding The Leisure Education and Awareness program was initiated by NEDSRA in 1983 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Department of Rehabilitation Services. This funding made it possible to pilot the program, establish the model and do the legwork to implement it successfully. Two staff were employed full-time on this project for a one-year period. The program continued in 1984-85 through the support of NEDSRA's 14 member park districts and recreation departments. Additional federal funding received in 1985 allowed the program to survive for a total of three years. Participants also pay a $19 program fee to attend the eight-week skill program. These funds defray a small portion of the costs for transportation and staff time. Scholarships are available for those unable to afford program fees. Future funding support is being sought through private foundations, corporations and local service clubs. With more than 300 adults benefiting from LEAP during the last three years, the need for the program is well established. Transportation The involvement of more adults with a physical limitation necessitated the purchase of a mini-bus equipped with a lift and tie-downs to safely accommodate wheelchair users. Partial funding for the bus was provided by the 1983 Department of Education grant. The bus is used for some community trips as well as to pick up wheel-chair users on a door-to-door basis. The door-to-door transportation service is offered as an option for some programs and involves an additional fee. This service was determined to be a necessity for physically impaired adults to be served. Past needs assessments revealed that "the lack of accessible public transportation in the NEDSRA area was the biggest hinderance to participation." An important part of the LEAP program is the effective utilization of all possible transportation options for community leisure pursuits. Publicity and promotion LEAP is publicized through NEDSRA's seasonal brochure as well as by targeted mailings to social service agencies, hospitals, community living facilities and individuals. In 1983, a separate LEAP pamphlet was developed and distributed to more Illinois Parks and Recreation 17 January/February 1987 than 500 individuals and agencies. Meetings and in-service workshops were held with rehabilitation hospitals, vocational/school program staff, etc., to explain the service and seek support. Various other mass media techniques, such as press releases and public service announcements, are used periodically. Information is also disseminated at libraries, park districts and other community sites. Program information is also available on tape and in large print for persons with visual impairments. This step was necessary to establish communication and credibility with this population. Referrals from local rehabilitation hospitals were established through the use of the referral system piloted by the Therapeutic Recreation Section of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). Closer communication between the clinical and community therapeutic recreation departments has resulted in a greater level of independence for handicapped adults. Advisory group As a part of LEAP, an adult services advisory group was formed in 1983-84. The group continues to meet three or four times a year and is comprised of handicapped adult consumers, parents of handicapped adults, health care professionals and NEDSRA staff. The group is instrumental in providing input and feedback on adult services. Summary The most important aspect of the LEAP program is that it changes the life of each individual participant for the better and allows greater independence in pursuit of a unique leisure lifestyle. This statement was echoed by the original LEAP independent consultant. Dr. Rarbara Sirvis of the University of Illinois. She stated, "Continued implementation of the program provides potential for development of an appropriate, independent leisure lifestyle." As an outgrowth of LEAP, NEDSRA has received a federal grant to implement a new program, "Project Independence." This will assist disabled adults in the independent pursuit of park district, YMCA and other community programs with the aid of a volunteer "Leisure Buddy." ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susan K. Balling is the director of marketing and development at the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association. Illinois Parks and Recreation 18 January/February 1987 |
|
|
