THERAPEUTIC FACILITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

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Rochelle Callis CRPD Therapeutic Recreation Program Final Report and Recommendations September 8, 2017 page 6 The District intends that the Master Plan will provide a broad framework for maintaining the existing recreation network, and identifying programming needs for the future. Issues related to the design of specific park sites and facilities are beyond the scope of the Master Plan, but the principles in the Master Plan guide staff regarding specific sites. The 2011 plan relies on some information that has, we believe, changed rapidly. The 2011 Plan notes that people aged 85 and older are the fastest growing demographic group, and we agree with that statement. Of note, in one of the 2011 Master Plan references (Transgenerational Design), we found this statement: "By 2020, for the first time in history, people aged 65 and older will outnumber children under age 5." (go to h .l&an enerationaLo a in dem ra hics.htn7*xzz4A2fA7Y This is significant. As noted elsewhere in this report, the incidence of disability for persons 65 or older is double, if not more, than that of the remainder of the population. Evaluating the Therapeutic Recreation Program is important for today, but it is perhaps more important for 2020, 2030, and beyond. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT COMMUNITY-BASED THERAPEUTIC RECREATION PROGRAIIAS Early History Public parks and recreation agencies have not always acknowledged the need to provide services for people with disabilities. As Service Members with injuries returned home after World War II, many parks and recreation agencies experienced their first demand for services and facilities for persons with disabilities. This phenomenon is similar to the post-war demand for swimming facilities, which parks and recreation agencies met with gusto. A small number of agencies did respond regarding demand by people with disabilities, developing programs with a limited range of choices. Other parks and recreation agencies duplicated and expanded these early programs, from coast to coast in cities and districts small and large. These early efforts caught the eye of the Federal Government. in the late 60's and early 70's, the US Department of Education then -named Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (BEH) recognized the benefit to students with disabilities of participation in year-round recreation programs. The BEH began a seed -money grant program that funded the development of many early therapeutic recreation programs across the United States. Not unlike the 21" Century Community Learning Center grants, education experts funded these early initiatives because they recognized the benefits of recreation. As time passed, the popularity of these programs grew. They were popular in the sense of meeting a need in the community, but not popular in numbers. This is simply due to the demographics of disability. THE W -T GRO DBA RECREATION ACGESSIBILITY CONSULT T -C ONE SOURCE. INFINITE SOLUTIONS,