RUNNING THE RAPIDS OF RISK.

In this perfect setting, the beauty, power, and fragility of the Grand Canyon reflect who we are as a society. Each rock layer within the canyon is a thing of unique beauty. However, it is the contrast of colors, shapes, and textures, which only in unity become the Grand Canyon. Likewise, when individuals within our society, regardless of color, nationality, sexual orientation, ability, or disability work in unity, we too, become things of beauty and wonder.

--Eileen Szychowsky, rafter

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -- Helen Keller

After three days of calm water rafting, Cataract Canyon burst into a daylong frenzy of 28 white-water rapids. This was the third trip of the summer for the Phoenix Parks, Recreation, and Library Department's (PRLD) rafting adventure program for teens with significant disabilities and their peers from at-risk backgrounds. As with all its trips, this one brought together 25 colorful and diverse individuals from around the Phoenix community. The group represented Hispanics, African Americans, Caucasians, Asian Americans, and people of biracial ethnicity. Nine adults were along, pledging long-term support to the participants. Of the teens, eight had significant disabilities, including blindness, severe head injury, spina bifida, cognitive disabilities, and cerebral palsy. The remainder came from "at-risk backgrounds," that catchall phrase that masks more hardship than any young person should have to face. Some had been in trouble with the law and had histories of gang involvement or substance abuse. Others had been separated from parents under abusive circumstances. Most had never been involved in community recreation. They were referred by counselors, teachers, therapists, and probation officers, and all had been "hooked" by the lure of river rafting. The rafting adventure was provided at no monetary cost, yet each person contributed 40 hours of volunteer service to earn the right to go.

White-water rafting is a strong teen magnet; powerful enough to bring many young people out of their comfort zones to spend a week with a group of strangers. By the fourth day on the river, the teens had dropped their walls enough to make friends with peers of varying backgrounds and abilities. Today--rapids day--was what had brought them on the river in the first place. Experienced guides and staff, state-of-the-art equipment, and the morning's lengthy safety talk helped cut risk to a minimum, but clearly, this was not Disneyland. The morning runs went without a hitch and by afternoon the group reached one of the Colorado River's steepest stretches, known as "The Big Drops." Here, rafts plunge 30 feet in a matter of minutes. While the guides pulled over to scout the rapids, staff and volunteers gave the thousandth reminder to hang on. The motor rig and first two oar boats kept PRLD's no-flip record intact, but after nine years of running white-water raft trips right-side up, Big Drop rapids' largest wave sent the third oar raft and its passengers front-over-end ...

The American Heritage dictionary defines "risk" as the possibility of suffering harm or loss. A factor, thing, element or course involving uncertain danger; the danger or probability of loss to an insurer; the amount that an insurance company stands to lose." No wonder public government has left risk-taking to private business, often hiring risk management specialists to "protect the public trust"! Public recreation departments must play it safe, stick to what is known, and never venture into the risky.

Whose responsibility is it then, to take risks on behalf of people typically left on the sidelines? When does it become important to throw out the traditional rulebook?

The Phoenix PRLD has broken with tradition by adopting a philosophy that public agencies not only can, but should take risks on behalf of their citizens. Phoenix broke through the play-it-safe mindset in 1991 when it organized and ran the first National Park Service-sanctioned white-water raft trips through the Grand Canyon for persons with significant disabilities. No calm-water floats, the six pilot trips each spanned two weeks and 226 river miles, running 120 white-water rapids that pack a significant wallop to even the heartiest rafter. Screening procedures, adaptive equipment, raft configurations, medical protocols, and a mountain of attitudinal barriers had to be confronted before the first boats could leave the shore.

What prompted Phoenix to venture into such uncharted waters? A landmark opportunity to promote human rights for people with disabilities. A mere ten years ago, the mindset for a majority of commercial river companies operating in the Grand Canyon was that it was no place for people with significant disabilities. It was too much risk for the companies to take. People with disabilities could watch the IMAX movie if they wanted a taste of running the Grand Canyon's rapids.

Commercial river company owners were making what they thought was responsible policy; however, it was based on little to no accurate information about people with disabilities. These owners had become millionaires by providing recreational trips on public Lands. They held a monopoly on a world-class adventure experience, with persons from around the globe paying top dollar and often booking a year or more in advance for the privilege of rafting the Grand Canyon. Certainly there seemed little economic incentive to include people with disabilities as commercial passengers.

Fortunately, a river guide named Jeff Aaronson saw things differently, and approached the National Park Service (NPS) about sanctioning raft trips for people with disabilities. Equally as fortunate, NPS leadership believed that equal access was imperative, and recognized that river rafts provided the perfect medium for those with mobility impairments to experience the Grand Canyon. They also recognized the potential risks involved and stipulated that appropriate expertise, resources, and leadership must be in place before the project could proceed. One commercial river company, Arizona Raft Adventures, stepped forward to run the first two trips. Phoenix PRLD's Adaptive Recreation Services office was approached to take the lead in planning and overseeing this pilot venture. When Phoenix came on board, the NPS gave its blessing, and the River of Dreams project was born.

Internally, Phoenix's decision to become involved was certainly not without a great deal of discussion, raised eyebrows, meetings with city attorneys and risk management specialists, and more than a few sleepless nights on the part of the department's director and Adaptive Recreation Services (ARS) staff. But leadership recognized what was at stake: the rights of persons with disabilities were being denied in one of our country's greatest natural resources, and that change would require the long-term commitment of an agency with the resources and expertise to see the project through.

When they first signed on, ARS staff had extensive experience providing accessible recreation programs and planning outdoor adventures; however, their collective knowledge of river running came from watching the movie Deliverance. No single entity involved held all of the expertise necessary to responsibly launch the River of Dreams project. Again, this pointed to the importance of municipal leadership. The first task, therefore, was to construct a strong collaboration of nonprofit outdoor recreation providers, commercial outfitters, volunteers, and financial backers. With its resources, Phoenix was able to facilitate the partnership's efforts, keeping the project on track.

Once the decision to proceed was made, staff had less than a year until the first trip launched in the fall of 1991. Within a brief seven month period, screening procedures were developed, medical volunteers were recruited, adaptive equipment was designed and tested, and funds were raised to provide scholarships, ensuring that cost would not be the final barrier to anyone's participation. Certainly, piloting this venture through a public agency required a high level of attention to detail, and, therefore, a greater investment of staff time. All application materials, screening criteria, safety plans, emergency procedures, and staff qualifications had to be reviewed by Phoenix legal council and risk management specialists. The law department developed waivers, and commercial outfitters were required to list the city of Phoenix as additional insured. At times, the review process seemed exhaustive, yet the River of Dreams program was far stronger for the expertise provided. Everyone involved knew that if an injury or safety hazard occurred during the pilot effort, their mission of opening the grandeur of the Grand Canyon for people with disabilities would likely be set back ten years. Phoenix's comprehensive approach ultimately established a strong foundation for perpetuating River of Dreams as a "controlled risk," rather than a "high risk" program.

After months of intensive planning, the first trips launched in September 1991. Participants included a diverse group of nature enthusiasts who had a wide variety of mobility impairments and life-threatening illnesses and ranged in age from 18 to 75. Two-thirds were women, and most participants had never camped under the stars.

As the river carried rafts deep into the earth, the river, the canyon, and the people wove their magic to produce a powerful life-changing event. Months after the trip, one rafter who was undergoing treatment for advanced cancer wrote, "I'm not sure how to appropriately thank those responsible for giving me my life back. Since my return, several people have welcomed me back. They are not welcoming me back from the river, although they do that, too. They are welcoming the person whom they once knew and cared about back to life, because over the course of the past year, that person had gradually ceased to exist and now he has returned. The difference in me is that clear, not only to myself, but to others. I know now that the Grand Canyon raft trip is a permanent part of me and will always be there to draw upon in the future."

Why was Phoenix's decision to take such a risk significant? The ripple effect from the River of Dreams program has resulted in significant benefits to the Phoenix community in unique and previously unimagined ways. As the pilot effort drew to a close in 1993, Phoenix committed itself to finding ways to expand the program to other underserved citizens. A United States Department of Education grant enabled Phoenix to pilot a teen rafting program in 1994, offering three weeklong white-water rafting trips each summer. Phoenix City Council showed its strong endorsement by approving funding for a full-time project coordinator. Additionally, conversations with trip participants have led Phoenix into a number of other innovative programs, notably X-TATTOO, which provides laser treatments for removal of visible gang tattoos, and Clear Path, a job-training program for young adults with disabilities. And finally, River of Dreams' volunteers established a nonprofit organization to help provide the financial support needed to put four trips on the water each year.

The project has also led to true systems change even beyond the Phoenix community. The National Park Service now requires all Grand Canyon river outfitters to have written plans of accommodation for meeting the needs of commercial passengers with disabilities, as a requirement of contract renewal. Twelve commercial rafting companies have participated in River of Dreams rafting trips, giving their guides firsthand experience with people with significant disabilities as well as adaptive equipment and techniques to conduct inclusive commercial trips.

The River of Dreams program has received significant media attention, helping to reduce attitudinal barriers among the general public and other adventure recreation service providers. Most important, however, has been the impact on the individual lives of the participants. An outside evaluation conducted by Robert T Stout, Ph.D., showed that a minimum of 70 percent of the participants received lasting benefits from the experience. For youths with disabilities, increases in self-esteem and independence were dramatic. At-risk teens returned with more compassion, a greater trust in adults, and an insight into the relationship between work and success. Countless anecdotal stories underscore the long-term impact that can come from "taking a risk on at-risk citizens." For example, a year after her son participated in a teen rafting trip, one mother wrote, "Before the trip, Joshua's life was devastated. His mom--his security--was a mess. He was homeless. He had not attended seventh grade. Yet out of all this destruction, Joshua got focused on his goal--to raft through the Grand Canyon. In order to do this, Joshua had to find the inner strength to act responsibly for himself--to persevere amidst crisis and instability. And he did it! I have never before witnessed anything that `built character,' and I felt that it was just another saying until River of Dreams created Joshua's metamorphosis. The great news is that Joshua has extended this to his education. He has improved enough to now be in the running for the most improved student."

Return now to the flipped raft below Big Drop 2. Was the risk-taking envelope pushed too far? Not at all. The swimmers were safely retrieved in minutes. Their Class V life jackets had been accurately tightened. They had listened to their safety talk. The river guide and the volunteer trip physician, first to climb up on the overturned raft, pulled all teens, uninjured, onto the overturned raft, which was then towed to shore with a throw rope from the motor rig. It was an adrenaline-pumping encounter, to be sure, but the "Cataract Canyon Swim Team," as they became known, were the heroes of the day. Teens who had never been away from home felt the heady rush of proving themselves capable of almost anything.

As for staff, they may have acquired a bit more gray hair as they watched careful program planning put to the test. But the meaning of "controlled risk" was brought into sharp focus. And they're in full swing with trip plans for 2000.

Ann Wheat, a recreation coordinator with City of Phoenix Parks, Recreation, and Library Department's Adaptive Recreation Services, began long ago to turn her love of nature and people into tangible opportunities for teens and adults who have few. Working first with children with cancer, and later with people with disabilities and other significant life challenges, Ann has provided the visionary leadership to found and direct a number of innovative programs. Among these is River of Dreams, a whitewater-rafting program for teens and adults with disabilities and other significant life challenges. Ann has found rafts to be the perfect medium for allowing people with mobility impairments the chance to explore inaccessible, yet breathtakingly beautiful wild places such as the Grand Canyon. Off the river, Ann loves to hike, read, garden, and think up new adventures.