THERAPEUTIC FACILITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Browse Search

Rochelle Callis CRPD Therapeutic Recreation Program Final Report and Recommendations September 8, 2017 page 18 There are two key areas of agreement: the Conejo Valley will increase slightly in gross population every five years, and the number of people with disabilities in general will increase more than slightly every five years. Knowing this, CRPD can act accordingly. Just as CRPD likely tracks new housing to anticipate young families with children, and the demand for new recreation assets, this undeniable growth in the population of those with disabilities will lead to more demand for programs. REVIEW OF COMPARABLY SIZED COMMUNITY-BASED TR PROGRAMS As a part of our scope of work, we interviewed staffs who oversee services for people with disabilities at six comparable parks and recreation agencies. Three were in California, and three were outside of California. Three were municipal recreation departments, two were park districts, and one is the equivalent of a joint powers authority. This diversity was important, as some entities that are the size of the District offer very different levels of programming. The interviews occurred in the spring and early summer. Benchmarks In General We note here that there are no national or state benchmarks for community-based therapeutic recreation programs. Decades ago, the National Recreation and Park Association did publish guidance regarding the number and type of facilities, programs, and parks that communities should have, and separated those benchmarks by population categories. Unfortunately, therapeutic recreation programs were never included, except to recommend that agencies should provide service to residents with disabilities. The purpose of the interviews was to gather information about how the agency provided programs for people with disabilities, and determine some metrics to apply to the Therapeutic Recreation Program operated by Conejo Recreation and Park District. One of our findings is that it is difficult to identify apples -to -apples comparables, for several reasons. These include age of the program, the overall agency philosophy, the philosophy of the program for people with disabilities, staff levels, funding, community expectations, and facility availability. Agencies Interviewed Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Alternative Recreation Program: a neighbor of the District, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District is located in Simi Valley, California. Staffed with a mix of full-time and part-time staffs, its offerings (see Spring/Summer schedule) are almost exclusively one - day events. The sole exception is bowling, which meets every Tuesday for eight weeks. City of Oxnard Special Populations Program: a neighbor of the District, the City of Oxnard, California Special Populations Program (OSP) operates as a unit of the Oxnard Recreation and Community Services Department. Staffed with a share of one full time employee, one coordinator -level part-timer, THE W -T GR0' ff.0 DBA RECREATION ACCESSIBILITY CONSULTV ONE SOURCE. INFINITE SOLUTIONS.