Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of Innovation Theory is proposed as a…

Storey (2008), in his eloquent and timely critique of the Special Olympics and his call to close it down, focuses on the failure of the Special Olympics to achieve the goal of social integration and sustained social interaction among people with intellectual disabilities and their peers without a disability label. The authors wholeheartedly agree…

The article offers eight questions for parents to consider in evaluating and developing a disabled child's recreation program. (DB)

This publication is devoted to five major topic issues selected from articles first published in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The volume begins with the theme of the individual in the recreation experience. It next reviews the role of leisure and recreation within the basic unit of society, the family. The third area of…

The article provides a 30-year perspective on recreation for handicapped people and describes the significant expansion that will take place during the next decade. (SBH)

Organizations that offer outdoor adventure activities can integrate programs to include individuals with disabilities. The paper describes how one organization includes diverse groups of people with and without disabilities in its outdoor activities, focusing on each member's strengths and encouraging cooperation. (SM)

Including individuals with disabilities into community recreation programs has become more popular recently. The ADA stresses the need for true inclusion, where people with disabilities can actively participate and interact in programs in a meaningful way. The paper describes two special programs that help include individuals with disabilities.…

A national survey of 500 postsecondary institutions was undertaken to assess the services, programs, and facilities accessible to handicapped students. Among findings were that 22% of those responding provided special physical education course(s) and that, of 31 colleges or universities listed as members of the Association on Handicapped Student…

In the 1960s, since the Tokyo Paralympics and the National Sports Games for the Disabled were held, public awareness was heightened towards the issue of disability. In 1970, a law which was to ensure that persons with disabilities could participate in recreational, sports and cultural activities was passed. The Japanese government has implemented…

The guide lists and describes physical education and recreation services available to handicapped people in the Detroit, Michigan, area. Agencies are arranged in five sections: those agencies providing services for most handicaps, including mental retardation, physical impairments, and learning disabilities; those providing services principally…

This article identifies and briefly describes 18 recent publications on adapted and inclusive physical education and recreation programs. Citations, accompanied by abstracts, are grouped into publications about philosophy, trends, and preparation and publications about practices in schools and communities. (DB)

This collection of readings is intended to help parents of children with disabilities join together or with professionals to advocate for inclusive recreational programs for their children. The following 15 readings are included: "To Play or Not To Play? A History of Recreation in America" (Carla E. S. Tabourne et al.); "Why Is…