Have Special Recreation Associations
Grown Up?

by
Jane Hodgkinson

Several months ago, I ran into an old friend and he jokingly asked if the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) spelled the end of special recreation associations (SRAs). Incredulously, I replied that we have never been busier. We will serve more people this year than in the past, thus bringing the cost per person even lower. Because of a tax cap, we will also face these services with dwindling reserves of funds.

With the passage of ADA we are also beginning to help people integrate into our members' programs at an all-time high. Our member communities have utilized our advice and suggestions in order to comply with ADA legislation. The ADA did not signal our end as much as our coming of age.

After 15 and 20 years, special recreation associations have grown up. They are no longer mere extensions of the member park districts and communities. They are agencies where boards with many diverse opinions have forged into one. Imagine the difficulty of multiple communities coming together to accomplish a task, the agreements, compromises, fights and debates all merging to form an agency that will provide top-quality recreational opportunities to a wide variety of participants. Its policies may differ from any of its members' plans, yet it can still function to carry out its mission.

SRAs have also come of age because they can handle true conflict in the change of their services. While the parallel programming of the past will continue well into the 21st Century, our future lies in learning about our consumers' needs and conveying those needs to our members. To do this, we will help our members design accessible facilities, provide aides for programs, loan adaptive equipment, supply interpreters for programs and a host of other services. We must help our districts overcome physical and psychological barriers to enhance total community involvement.

Some individuals have mistakenly believed that since districts must make their services available to all, that there would be a "stampede" by the "disabled" community to the park district. They see no reason to continue their involvement in special recreation associations. To paraphrase the bandits in the movie, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, they feel, "SRAs...we don't need no stinking SRAs." However, some consumers want the opportunities and individual attention that parallel programs provide. For example, Susie and her mom debated whether it was better to be first in Special Olympics softball or sit on the bench of an integrated team. Susie wanted to be number one.

Nowhere in history do we find integration taking place overnight. Generally, it has been a gradual process that takes one, two or even three generations. The Civil Rights movement for black people in America started more than 130 years ago. Beirut and Belfast may never experience peace in our lifetime. Since the United States was essentially established by blending different ethnic and national groups, we know the experiences of integration. People with disabilities will be able to participate in most activities that they choose. Some will select integrated programs; some will pick parallel programs, and some will opt for both. The choice is theirs. There will be some skirmishes along the road, but the journey will continue. A wise saying of Lao Tsze states that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

As we stand at this point, looking to a future different from ourpast,we realize that our new tasks are still somewhat unknown to us. How do we design a park to be more usable by all? How do we blend art, safety, accessibility and durability with fun? The answer to these questions will begin to form our blueprints of the future.

"Today's preparation determines tomorrow's achievement."

About the Author

Jane Hodgkinson is the Executive Director of the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association in Glen Ellyn.