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…

Youth are often the primary group for parks and recreation organizations, yet recreation professionals are often not adequately prepared in the principles and practices of youth development. Similarly, youth workers outside the recreation field often lack information on basic recreation program design and activity leadership. Improving access to…

A variety of approaches to planning leisure and recreational programs, services, and activities are described. (GW)

This manual for trainers provides a suggested course, along with background programming information, for personnel delivering recreation services to the homebound elderly. After assessing current needs, steps involved in the development of a homebound recreation program are considered along with agency administrative concerns. The actual planning…

One of nine volumes in a series on recreation for the handicapped, the report examines new concepts and processes in special recreation. Among 10 topics considered are the following: goals of community recreation for the handicapped; delivery system; guidelines for management and development; local community leadership; planning, cooperation and…

The guide offers a framework for approaching the assessment process of recreation and leisure service delivery to handicapped children and youth by college/university faculty and administrators. Twenty-five questions regarding manpower assessment are answered, including the following: why is manpower assessment important and how is it usually…

The increasing need for "friendly visitor" programs for the homebound elderly has led to the development of curricular and training materials provided by "Outreach: Recreation/Exercise for Home-Centered Elderly." The "Outreach" materials are designed to train and guide volunteers who work with older adults. The materials are organized into twelve…

Evaluation is one method of determining accountability in human service programs. A generic evaluation approach contains several steps: (1) stating a purpose for evaluating the program; (2) identifying evaluation questions; (3) identifying the nature of evaluation information; (4) collecting evaluation information; (5) analyzing evaluation…

International sources suggest that Australian human service agencies must implement meaningful processes to meet increasing demands for accountability in service delivery. The development of adequate services for the disabled in Australia is influenced by the principles of normalization--the use of culturally valued means in order to enable,…

Commercialized approaches to public recreation may solve the financial and budgetary problems that many public recreation programs currently face. Case studies document the success of some commercialized approaches, including: (1) borrowing techniques from business and commercial recreation programs; (2) creating revenue producing facilities and…

In Scandinavia, student welfare needs are usually met by student unions financed independently of the institution. This article describes the different organizational structures and functions of Scandinavian unions in an effort to stimulate alternatives to traditional American student service delivery systems. (Author)

A symbolic interactionist approach to evaluation views the evaluator as an observer of group behavior in which individual action aligns with collective action. The evaluator attempts to discover what is actually going on in the program being evaluated. Though the interactionist approach frees the program manager from having to articulate goals, it…

A model is presented to demonstrate that systematic evaluation by design or planned, purposeful evaluation of recreational programs is possible. The evaluation model concepts of control group, randomization, and pretest and posttest are explained. (JN)

The future maintenance and improvement of park and recreation programs involves: (1) remembering that access to recreation should be independent of socioeconomic status; (2) developing and using marketing skills to serve human needs; (3) expanding and using research for better programs; and (4) evaluating programs for their contribution to human…

This handbook is a self-help guide for beginning or improving cooperative efforts between recreation, park, and education agencies. The handbook covers: 1) development and writing of guidelines for a formal agreement to cooperate, 2) methods of developing supportive communication strategies, 3) determination of the costs of a cooperative venture,…