June 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 79

R E C R E ATION T H E RAPY

From Combat to Community
Inclusive Recreation Service aids wounded warriors' transition to normal life
By Patricia Kleban, M.S.,C.T.R.S

ccording to the Department of Defense, more
than 1.64 million men and
women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. It is estimated that one
in four of those who serve will require
treatment for a medical or mental health
issue. While many of those injured in military service return to active duty after illness or injury, those who separate from
the military will return to communities all
over the United States to live, work, and
play. Are community-based recreation
services and programs prepared to meet
these needs?
In response to the numbers of wounded warriors returning to military communities, as well as the family members and
retirees with disabilities who access onbase programs and facilities, the Marine
Corps Community Service (MCCS) has
contracted with Penn State University to
provide staff training on inclusion.
Many people think of recreation for
Wounded Warriors as segregated programs such as Paralympics. Those specialized programs provide an amazing
service but, in reality, more of our wounded service men and women want to participate in general recreation and fitness
programs with friends and family. We
need to make sure that our communitybased programs are prepared to meet
their needs. Yet, despite legal, financial,
and moral incentives to integrate people
with disabilities into community-based
recreation services, many agencies do
not provide inclusive recreation services
or inclusion training for staff.
Inclusive programming is defined as
programs and services that are open

and welcoming of all individuals, including those with disabilities. Marine Corps
Community Service has contracted for 13
trainings on 10 military bases in the United States and Japan. Based on the WAMMER approach to inclusion, participants
in the on-site trainings learn a step-bystep process for re-examining and modifying current programs and events to
welcome and encourage the participation
of individuals with disabilities. The WAMMER approach was developed by the author and co-facilitator Tammy Smith. Both
are faculty members in Recreation, Park
and Tourism Management at Penn State
University.
WAMMER stands for Welcome, Ask,
Modify, Monitor, Evaluate, and Refer.
Participants in the WAMMER training
learn inclusion skills related to marketing, equipment adaptation, and evaluation of programs to improve service for

all customers. Using group discussion,
group activities, disability simulations,
and the development of an agency-specific action plan, the training assists agency personnel in becoming more proactive
and more comfortable with including customers who may need some assistance to
access facilities and programs. The purpose of the training is to provide staff who
do not have a background in therapeutic
recreation with the skills and abilities to
develop inclusive programs.
The inclusion of people with disabilities-including Wounded Warriors-benefits all of us. In addition to
being mandated by legislation such as
the Americans with Disabilities Act, inclusion can also mean a potential increase in
customers. Inclusive programs can mean
more participants and greater revenue.
Most important, however, is that inclusion of individuals with disabilities in our

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