PARTNERS: promoting accessible recreation.

Last spring Tom, who is 17 years old, was out with his friends. Their four-wheel drive vehicle rolled over; and as a result of that accident, Tom is a T-4 paraplegic. Prior to the accident, Tom played varsity hockey and was very active in high school sports. Since his accident, he has focused on getting back into school and adjusting his life. What he was missing was fun, sport, challenge, and speed. Tom's family had purchased a racing chair for him, but he wasn't comfortable with his balance yet; and, consequently, he did not use it often. He was discouraged by what he saw as his options for sport.

One day he was at a Northeast Passage volunteer party with his aunt; and he met Rory, who had brought along a Freedom Ryder handcycle that he had ridden across the country. Rory asked Tom if would like to ride it. Tom at first declined the offer, but after persistent encouragement from Rory, he agreed to give it a try. Rory went over the basics with him, then Tom was off. Gone for over an hour, he periodically would swing by and wave to his father and aunt. As he whizzed by, he yelled, "This is the freest I've felt since the accident." Until the snow flew last winter, Tom frequently was spotted on the Freedom Ryder. Since that time, he has skied on a bi-ski, played sledge hockey and tennis and enjoyed sailing and sea kayaking. He then purchased his own Freedom Ryder; and currently he is back in his racing chair training hard for Junior Nationals.

A chance to try something exciting, explore choices, find something you can do with your partner or family, regain a past love of a sport, and/or truly be an active participant in your community and your life - these are the desires that we each bring to our recreation. The Promoting Accessible Recreation Through Networking, Education, Resources and Service (Partners) Project is designed to create barrier-free recreation to meet these desires for persons with physical disabilities. Partners(*) is an innovative model of service delivery in both the process of how it delivers the service and in the services it offers.

Partners in Creation

Partners is a partnership among Northeast Passage, the University of New Hampshire's Recreation Management and Policy Department (RMP), and Granite State Independent Living Foundation (GSILF). Northeast Passage, a non-profit organization and a Chapter of Disabled Sports USA (formerly National Handicapped Society), is a consumer-driven organization whose mission is to create an environment in which individuals with physical disabilities can recreate with as much freedom of choice and independence as their able-bodied peers. Northeast Passage is founded on grass-roots support from its members and is led by a consumer steered Board of Directors. Program development is flexible and responsive to the desires of its members.

RMP brings the resources of the University of New Hampshire and faculty expertise to support the project efforts. The Department also contributes student volunteers to Partners activities, which serves a dual purpose. It assures a cost-effective program delivery model and provides an opportunity for future providers of recreation services to gain experience in integration recreation programs. GSILF is a state-wide consumer controlled independent living program serving all people with disabilities in New Hampshire. It has a long history of active consumer involvement, with a strong consumer controlled Board of Directors and an established network of consumers across the state.

Designed for Solutions

The Partners program is designed to provide solutions to real problems. The goal is to create an environment where individuals with physical disabilities have the same choices and recreation opportunities as their able-bodied peers. This is accomplished through education, problem solving, and creating opportunities. Driven by consumer input, focus is not on a specific sport or activity, because everyone's recreation needs and interests are different. Instead, we address what barriers prevent independent recreation.

We generated several common themes that are targeted for program development, and we uncovered many problems that need to be addressed: lack of information, lack of knowledge about equipment and individual modifications, need for skill development, expense of adaptive equipment, inaccessible facilities, and a dearth of opportunity. The programs attack these problems and work to clear the path to independent recreation involvement. They also attempt to remove barriers and allow people to independently access their recreation.

Partners provides the transition from the rehabilitation facility to the home community through development of functional recreation skills, modifications and adaptation of equipment, information on recreation resources within the New England region, and access to adaptive equipment. At the same time, it works on opening the doors for opportunities within the community through education and advocacy of public and private providers of recreation services.

The Partners Project provides four types of programs:

* AIM for Independence - Activity Instructional Models. This modular program was designed for consumers who said they wanted to be able to sample different activities without getting tied to a program. These modules are entry-level instructional clinics in various sports and recreation activities such has skiing, scuba diving, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, stunt kite flying, sledge hockey, weight training, and others. Ten to twelve instructional modules are offered annually. The selection of activities for each year changes based on member feedback. Each module includes both people with a variety of physical disabilities and those without disabilities. Additionally, family members, significant others, and friends are introduced to the activity and the available adaptive equipment. Every module provides skilled instruction, adapted equipment, and ample support from volunteers. By the conclusion, the participant is able to make an informed decision about continued involvement. If he or she decides to pursue an activity further, information is available at each module.

* Equipment Rental Program. The Equipment Rental Program was created based on the feedback from consumers who said that even though they knew where and how to participate in a sport, the cost of the equipment prevented their involvement. Current reality is that adapted recreation equipment is often very expensive. Designed to remove the barrier of cost, the Equipment Rental Program offers true freedom and independence. People rent equipment and recreate where they want to, when they want to, and with their companions of choice. With nearly $30,000 worth of equipment available, the program opens the door to 10 different sports. The program offers a progression of equipment to meet the needs of different disabilities (e.g., sit-skis, biskis, and mono-skis). Similarly, a progression of equipment based on developing skill level is available (e.g., beginner water-ski and intermediate and trick skis). Consumers use this program in a variety of ways. They may rent a particular piece of equipment several times per season. Or they may try out several different pieces of equipment to determine what they like before making a purchase. They may even use the program to develop competency in a sport before initiating a purchase.

* Sports Development Program. In consort with other programs, Sports Development was created to fill a void in service delivery identified by consumers, in this case, a lack of wheelchair sports opportunities in Northern New England. The Sports Development Program has three components: recreational wheelchair sports, competitive wheelchair sports, and youth development in wheelchair athletics. Recreational sports target pockets of interest to develop pick-up wheelchair basketball, sledge hockey, rowing, or other sports of interest. The focus is on a consistent opportunity for fun and fitness. If the interest becomes strong in a particular sport and consumers are interested in competition, Northeast Passage facilitates the development of a competitive team to join the national leagues. This decision is entirely consumer-based, as consumers are the active catalysts to the sport's development.

As for wheelchair sports, the Partners Project offers a summer residential skills camp in wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis. The camp is held at the University of New Hampshire when other sports camps for youth are in session so that while the sport is specific, the setting is fully integrated.

* Education and Advocacy Program. In reality, the entire Partners Project is about education and advocacy. But the Education and Advocacy Program was developed specifically because consumers who are independent and ready to access private and public recreation found that the community was not always ready to have them. The Partners Project provides in-service education to public and private providers of recreation services to create more environments that are accessible and usable for individuals with disabilities. A second focus of this program is increasing the awareness of consumers of potential recreation opportunities. Partners staff work with the TR professionals in a rehabilitation hospital and provide consultation to a patient prior to discharge to help with the transition to the community. A third aspect of the Education and Advocacy Program is the establishment of a computerized database of accessible equipment, programs, and sites available to both consumers and providers in the New England Region.

Parters is staffed by two full-time CTRS, two UNH students, and many volunteers. We contract for service with instructors - both able-bodied and disabled - for specific expertise in selected activities.

Networking in the Delivery

of Service

More than 1,500 individuals received services from the Partners Project in its first year of operation. Ultimately, Northeast Passage hopes to establish barrier-free recreation opportunities throughout New England. Whenever possible, it uses existing resources and enhances them to establish access. Once this is accomplished, Northeast Passage can step out of the process, and the individual provider takes over.

This philosophy may be best understood through an example of an AIM for Independence Module's implementation. The Water-Ski Clinic is a two-day module. On the first day, a volunteers training was conducted by Northeast Passage staff for 20 New Hampshire Water Ski Association (NHWSA) volunteers. On the second day, 15 people participated in a sit-down water-ski clinic with their family members and friends close at hand. NHWSA volunteers provided the boats, spotters, and a lot of general water skiing expertise. A local marina provided the boat launch and beach access. Northeast Passage provided the skis and instructors. The skiers experienced a great day of skiing and picnicking by the lake.

By the end of the second day, a number of outcomes were achieved. Fifteen people knew how to sit-down water ski. They knew what kind of ski and cage worked best for them, and they knew where they could rent a ski if they wanted to go out with friends or where to buy a ski if they chose to do so.

Family members learned how to use a boat quick release if they needed to and assist the skier in getting in and out of the ski. They saw their relative or friend cut the wake and ski independently; they laughed at wipeouts, and they roared at first successes. At the same time, Northeast Passage's Rental Equipment Program gained two new water skis donated by the NHWSA, and NHWSA volunteers became competent instructors in sit-down water skiing. Northeast Passage was able to help the association expand its knowledge base to incorporate skiers with disabilities. Next year, the NHWSA is committed to taking out anyone who wants to ski with them whether they stand up or sit down to water ski. And Northeast Passage and NHWSA are now discussing the possibility of including a sit-ski division in the competitive events hosted by NHWSA.

The Story of Mark

Mark is 23 years old and active in water sports, especially surfing. A year ago, he had an automobile accident which resulted in a T-8 spinal cord injury. At the rehabilitation hospital, he received therapeutic recreation services; and as part of his discharge plan, he was introduced to CTRS from Northeast Passage who introduced him to several pieces of adapted equipment and talked with him about the many recreation options available to him. They talked about his specific interests and ideas for modifying those activities.

Mark was put on the Northeast Passage mailing list, given a free one-year membership, and referred to a contact person at Northeast Passage who he could call when he got home. While still in rehab, Mark came to a Northeast Passage module on sledge hockey, and he was hooked.

During his first week at home, he joined the new sledge hockey team through Northeast Passage. He sold his surf board to buy goalie gear and traveled to an international sledge hockey tournament in Toronto with the first-ever New England-based team.

Over the next four months, Mark tried a lot of sports with Northeast Passage. He also worked as a junior counselor for the wheelchair sports camp; and he was able to gain job skills, fine tune his mobility, learn tennis and basketball, and discover water skiing.

Mark had worked very hard, tried a lot of different things, and learned incredible lessons through his recreation involvement. However, he still didn't like looking at himself in the mirror or having his picture taken until he discovered water skiing.

Then Mark was featured in a full-page, color picture in the regional newspaper with bi-ceps bulging. It was the first time that he was able to see himself as physically attractive and enjoy a new body image.

Funding the Program

Although the Partners Project is one of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services' Innovative Recreation Project Grantees, the grant requires a 25% match in the second year, 50% in the third year, and 100% after the conclusion of the three-year period. To keep the program components intact after the withdrawal of federal support, a diversified approach to funding support was designed:

* Corporate sponsors are aboard, and new contracts are pursued actively. Initially, targeted sponsors included those with similar consumer bases, such as rehabilitation facilities and equipment retailers.

* Private foundations are selected by researching and pursuing local foundations that either have a priority to serve the population we serve, earmark a similar geographic area, or are interested in the service (recreation) we deliver.

* Non-profit partnerships are sought with a commitment to not duplicating services while building on what exists in the region. Both hard dollars and in-kind contributions are committed to this endeavor.

* Membership in the Northeast Passage includes a priority registration for modules, free instruction at modules, access to the equipment rental program, and a quarterly newsletter with information on regional and national activities. Non-members fees for AIM for Independence Modules are very low in keeping with the philosophy that these are the introductory clinics to get someone started in the activity. There is a tuition to attend the Sports Camp. The Equipment Rental Program runs on a self-supporting basis from the rental fees. In the future, in-service and consultation will be provided on a sliding fee basis and all new programs will be developed with a fee-for-service to encourage consumer responsibility for the program.

* The labor-intensive fundraising events, are run on a quarterly basis. These have included a tennis tournament, ski-athon, auction/lobster dinner, and University of New Hampshire skate with the hockey team.

Replication

Northeast Passage is a non-competitive program. It works with the existing regional structure to strengthen what is there and fill the gaps as needed. Functioning as a hub for universal recreation, Northeast Passage emphasizes networking and getting everyone working toward the same goal. For replication purposes, the model is flexible and can be implemented best where current support networks exist. That may mean affiliating with a rehabilitation hospital, a university, an independent living center, a community recreation department, a regional cooperative, and/or a state parks and recreation department. There are numerous possibilities to be determined by the commitment of those who believe in equal access and equal opportunity.

Example To Be Followed

The model presented through Northeast Passage demonstrates the important role for therapeutic recreation within the transition from rehabilitation facilities to the community at-large. It speaks to the issue of readiness for individuals with physical disabilities - providing therapeutic recreation services when the person is ready and able to use the service. Recreation is a powerful tool in improving functional skills. By working in the community and at the point of transition, therapeutic recreation can build on the functional skills acquired in rehabilitation and take the person to a higher level of usable and transferable skills in real-life settings.

Many people with physical disabilities are not ready to hear the functional benefits of recreation within a rehabilitation setting. They are more concerned with the basic building blocks that will enable them to return to an independent life. By facing the issue of readiness, we can treat the consumer when they are best able to make use of our expertise. We can be available when they are at home and want to gain the skills and knowledge they need to participate in life.

Through Partners, we have found success in applying clinical therapeutic recreation skills within the transition from hospitalization to the community. Consumers are eager for the service and are tremendously supportive of the process by which it is delivered. As a Northeast Passage member states, "I take my experiences from my involvement with Northeast Passage with me; and I am reminded that with some creativity, some brainstorming, a little duck tape and tenacity, passages do occur."

(*) This project is partially funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education (H128J30002). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not represent USDE.