INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY
WHAT IS INCLUSION?
Inclusion is the concept that people of all abilities can and should have the opportunity to recreate and interact together. Inclusion fosters an environment where everyone feels welcome to participate in the activities or programs of their choice regardless of actual or perceived limitations. All classes offered in the Recreation Guide are available for inclusion. People with special needs are encouraged to register for any activity that they wish to participate in, provided they meet the general class requirements. These requirements include age, gender, and specific class pre-requisites.
WHAT IS AN ACCOMMODATION?
An accommodation is a modification to an activity or class that enables people with specific challenges or needs to participate fully or to their personal capability. The District requests a minimum of two weeks’ notice prior to the first activity meeting to determine whether reasonable accommodation is possible. Although the District will make every reasonable effort to meet your needs, unfortunately not all accommodation requests can be granted. Each request is evaluated by the District on a case-by-case basis.
PERSONAL SERVICES
With respect to personal services
- Feeding
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Medication Administration
- Behavior Monitoring (for example, to control aggression or flight risk)
the District will consider permitting a personal caregiver to accompany a paying participant. The caregiver would be arranged and paid for entirely by the participant. The caregiver would be solely responsible for ensuring that the participant’s personal services needs are met throughout the entire activity. District would waive all class and transportation fees for the caregiver when accompanying the participant. Contact the ADA Coordinator immediately after registering so the District can determine whether accompaniment by a caregiver would be a reasonable accommodation for the activity.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
- Register for classes/activities in which you want to participate. Please ensure that you meet the general class requirement to register for the course or activity.
For example: you are the appropriate age and meet the prerequisites.
- Contact the ADA Coordinator immediately after registering to request an accommodation. The District requests two weeks’ notice prior to the first activity date to determine whether a reasonable accommodation is possible.
ADA Coordinator: Mark Benishek at 206-842-5661 #116 or mbenishek@biparks.org