February 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 14

Research
Inclusion in Parks and Recreation
By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

P

ark and recreation agencies want all members of the community to have an equal
opportunity to benefit from all that they offer. Unfortunately, many agencies face
significant challenges in delivering on this promise. In some cases, they have limited monetary and staffing resources that make it difficult to serve those who may
benefit the most from quality park and recreation services. In other cases, they lack a clear
understanding of the needs and desires of members of their city, town or county.
As part of its new Parks for Inclusion
initiative, NRPA is supporting the development of resources, professional development opportunities and technical assistance that will help park and recreation
professionals serve every member of their
community. We recently surveyed agencies
across the United States about what they
do to ensure all their community members can enjoy parks and recreation. The
26-question survey, conducted in September 2017, generated responses from 512
park and recreation professionals.
Outreach to Specific Populations
The survey found that while park and recreation professionals may serve diverse populations with differing needs and desires,
they share a commonality on how they define " inclusion " for parks and recreation.
They agree that their facilities, offerings

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Parks & Recreation

and services should be accessible to people of all backgrounds, regardless of race,
gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic
position or physical/cognitive ability. And,
to that end, park and recreation agencies
design and market facilities, programming
and activities targeted to specific populations that otherwise may be underserved.
Many agencies target programming to
serve individuals with a physical or cognitive disability. Seventy-four percent of
park and recreation agencies develop programming and activities that serve community members who have a physical
disability, while 62 percent do the same to
serve individuals with a cognitive disability. Furthermore, 7 in 10 agencies target
programming and activities to community members who are part of a multicultural, racial or ethnic group.
What is less common among park and
recreation agencies is programming that is specifically
for members of the lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender
and questioning (LGBTQ)
community. Currently, only
30 percent of agencies deliver programs targeted to this
population. Another area of
growing need for park and
recreation programming is
for refugee and immigrant
community members. Only
27 percent of responding
agencies report targeting

| F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

these new Americans.
Some park and recreation agencies are
more likely to offer inclusive programming
and activities targeted to segments of their
community. For example, suburban agencies and those that are part of a county
government are more likely than other
agencies to offer specific programming for
individuals with a physical or cognitive disability. Agencies in urban locales are more
likely than agencies in other locales to offer
programming and activities geared for a
multicultural, racial or ethnic community,
members of the LGBTQ community, and
the refugee and immigrant communities.
Formal Inclusion Plans and Partners
While many agencies are already
achieving a standard of inclusion, they
frequently lack a formal policy that ensures consistent implementation of this
standard across the agency. Creating and
implementing a formal inclusion policy
allows agencies to maintain a consistent
set of guidance and matching action.
With a formal policy, this inclusion standard will thrive even through staff turnover, leadership changes, shifts in agency
priorities and funding shortages. Forty
percent of park and recreation agencies
currently have a formal inclusion policy,
with another 16 percent intending to develop a policy within the next year.
Working with third parties to provide resources, technical assistance and outreach
support is one way park and recreation
agencies work to ensure their programming and activities are relevant and accessible to all community members. A clear
majority of park and recreation agencies
- 93 percent - partner with other government agencies and external organizations
to ensure their programming and activities



February 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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