Shift in inclusive recreation profession: inclusion into the community setting is no longer for specialists anymore.

There has been a change and/or shift in the traditional paradigm of local park and recreation services and the agencies that provide them to their respective communities. More sophisticated customers, technology and the ongoing trend toward immediate gratification has broken down the levels of bureaucracy of the public sector. Agencies and their leaders must react in a manner more affiliated with the private/corporate sector. This change/shift has also affected the operations of special recreation agencies in the same ways.

The shift I experienced within the public recreation sector has been extraordinary, from the standpoint that public recreation agencies have become more in line with operating a private sector business rather than a traditional, tax-supported entity. The tightened budgets, demands on the public system and levels of expected programs and services have forced this issue to the leaders and elected officials of our public system.

The shift within the public sector of inclusive recreation professionals is also moving and evolving. Inclusive recreation professionals help a child or adult mainstream into society through programming specially designed to fit their needs. This service is usually provided by a park and recreation department geared toward including all persons with disabilities into their communities. But the role of the inclusive recreation professional is changing. Those aforementioned items that have influenced and forced the hand of the public system in parks and recreation have also affected the inclusion arena as well.

In the public park and recreation profession, we see the inclusion of nontraditional job positions and disciplines that were not seen a decade before. Marketing, public relations, occupational safety, human resources and technology managers were either park and recreational professionals taking on these roles as an added portion of mashed potatoes on their proverbial plate, or outsourced by the agency by professionals that were looking for ways to expand their customer base by including public sector employers.

Moreover, the therapeutic recreation specialist has streamlined into the public recreation system, showing the ability to adapt and acknowledge the importance of understanding the public recreation system and how it can be effective to the profession. These specialists have been educated, trained and even have an extensive professional certification program in place to ensure the long-term viability and high standards of service in their respective disciplines. Many certified therapeutic recreation colleagues have also earned their Certified Park and Recreation Professional designation as a commitment to this premise.

The shift toward true inclusion within the public sector is alive, well and moving with the times. Just look at the evolution and popularity of the National Institute of Recreation Inclusion (NIRI) and other prevalent regional and local workshops and conferences on inclusion. The public is more aware of this and, as a profession, the same premise and commitment from the therapeutic discipline needs to be mirrored and enhanced from the public recreation side.

In Illinois, we continue to experience a large percentage of senior leaders retiring to enjoy their leisure time. This has been a concern and continues to be a challenge to attract mentored and confident young leaders to take over our system's reigns. This trend also affects the legislative and advocacy processes in Illinois, because it is happening at an alarming rate. I would contend that this need within the profession is also legitimate for the inclusion process as well.

Too many times I hear or experience staff and other colleagues treat the inclusion process with the external specialist approach, where there is little or no interaction between the therapeutic recreation specialist and other park and recreation staff. As new leaders emerge in the industry, I challenge everyone to expose this approach for the poor perception and paradigm it is. Time and resources are tight, and demands on staff continue to grow, however, the commitment needs to be made and it starts at the local level. Sensitivity trainings, joint special-event planning and implementation, and sending staff to NIRI or other continuing educational opportunities are imperative to making this commitment.

Just as the next generation of leaders in the profession begin to surface and embody the future of this profession, the inclusion process at every level of each local organization will need leadership that is cognizant, supportive and committed to this shift, and foster this with their staff. Serving as chairman of the Fox Valley Special Recreation Association, I have truly experienced the importance of this effort, and begun the process of installing the same awareness in my staff. The traditional perception by staff is typically the first and hardest step to break through. For example, listing the inclusion specialist as a staff member in our park district brochures helped spur a culture change and a philosophical alteration of how we did business. This created a mandate at first, and a perception of forced will to make the boss happy. However, with this culture change came a better understanding and appreciation for who and what these professionals do, and how important they are to the overall success of the organization.

I encourage current leaders and those who are approaching leadership positions to make the commitment by attending NIRI and other opportunities, as it is not the specialist anymore that needs to be the sole provider of the inclusion process. Much of the staff I have worked with realize that the same techniques they use in providing programs and services, such as assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation, are the same in each job--just applied differently. Leaders can get involved at the local level with recreation organizations such as Special Olympics, 4H or the Boys and Girls Club of America to make that commitment. If you want emulation and a culture in your organization that promotes this shift, then you must show it first.

Start somewhere and build, and after you've started, enjoy a glass of orange juice with your recreation inclusion specialist, for inclusion is not just for specialists anymore.

Michael Clark is the executive director of Batavia Park District in Batavia, Ill. He can be reached at [e-mail].