Essay about Diversity in Outdoor Adventure Recreation

With the help of teachers and my efforts, I have been successful and was even a recipient of an academic achievement award for students with a 3.6 GPA or higher. It is not always easy learning the materials, studying and placing my thoughts onto paper, yet I will continue to advocate for myself in any circumstance necessary. Despite having learning challenges in the classroom, it does not limit my activities outside of the classroom. I love to volunteer! One of my favorite activities includes being a volunteer buddy for the Miracle League of the Fox Valley. The Miracle League is a baseball organization for children and adolescents with physical and/or cognitive challenges. My role of a buddy is to assist my fellow buddy in any needs she may need, protect her from possible injuries and make sure she is having fun! I love having the opportunity of being a buddy, it has formed a forever lasting companionship and provided smiles that touch us all! Addition to the Miracle League, I’m a member of National Honor Society in which I volunteer in several community organizations to help better the community. I was honored to be selected as a Link Crew member. It has been one of my greatest opportunities to advocate for my peers with disabilities. This is a first time that Appleton North Link Crew created a program for students with physical and cognitive challenges to be included in a freshman transition program in

Disney has a variety of diversity-training programs, including programs on generational communications, creating an inclusive environment, disability awareness and inclusion leadership training. Disney works to accommodate guests with disabilities by training cast members, making the latest technology available for visitors, and constantly reviewing policies and procedures that govern park operations. In addition, visitors with disabilities can plan their Disney outing by reviewing a copy of the resort 's Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities (Disney Hollywood Studios, 2012). This booklet provides a detailed overview of the services and facilities available at each park for guests with disabilities, including information about parking, restrooms, auxiliary aids, telephones, transportation facilities, and specific attraction entrance and boarding procedures. There are many rides that allow a guest to remain in a wheelchair while experiencing

In order to effectively embed disabled children’s participation, it needs to be fully accessible and inclusive. The social model of disability provides a framework for inclusive participation; by focusing on changing attitudes and removing or minimizing barriers that prevent disabled children accessing the same opportunities as other children and young people.

Many places now have adapted well for those with disabilities and have for example opened up corridors and made slops for those using physical aids such as sticks, frames and wheelchairs enabling those with disabilities able to join in with social events with others.

A. Disability legislation increases the recognition of actively involving individuals with a disability into community based projects and adapting mainstream projects for the involvement of others with a disability. This encourages inclusion for disabled individuals into the community and helps with other factors such as disabled access for wheelchair users and individuals with impaired mobility in the likes of schools and universities as well as local shops and community centres. Encouraging inclusion of disabled individuals into the community “normalizes” disability and encourages a positive

As you are no doubt well aware, this entire project has been a labor of love for Matt and I. As a group we ran into one road block after another. If nothing else, this project has taught me that everything will not go smoothly, no matter how good the intensions and how to persevere in the face of adversity.

Everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Those with disabilities are no different they just have a different set then everyone else. I chose this project topic because in 5th and 6th grade I was part of a program called Peer Pals. Once a week during recess I volunteered in a special needs classroom. This work opened my eyes to the world of special needs and Peer Pals is one of the things I miss about elementary school. I realized that I needed to continue helping the special needs community. No solutions presented themselves and then one day the solution stared me in the face from it’s home in the Reston Community Center Program Guide. “Volunteer at the Adapted Aquatics Class,” I had found a solution to my problem.

One organization in particular that has large involvement within the community to help disabled kids is this organization called Miracle League of the Triangle. This organization is country-wide organization that is located in multiple parts of the country. In particular, one location is in Cary, North Carolina. This organization is specifically related to the sport of baseball. This league operates like a real baseball league where there are multiple teams and each team plays against each other. Each player has some sort of disability where it’s a physical disorder or a mental disorder. The good thing about the involvement is that each player is assisted by a person known as a BUDDY where they help the player run the bases and hit the ball. It’s a real bonding moment for both the player and the BUDDY. It shows that the BUDDY really cares for the player and it makes the player feel more appreciated. The mission statement for the league is to create positive life experiences for children and adults with special needs and for their families through baseball. The league also has some core values in which they take and consider in this organization. Some values are that everything that is done should be player-centered and create an accepting, safe, and fun environment. The world sometimes responds in a ways not to accept people with special needs because they think they don’t fit into the society so they simply exclude them from most activities or other involvements in the community. To change this issue, the leagues organizes the baseball games to give kids a chance to participate in the community even if the league is a specific minority group. It gets these kids more involved to have exposure of interesting things in the world. The league gives everyone the opportunity to participate which creates unity among each other. The BUDDY system helps the staff, board, coaches

People with disabilities are the nation’s largest minority and one of the few minority groups that any person can join at any time.

Sports and other physical activities help build other important life skills like courage, friendship/teambuilding, and problem solving skills. Not only do the members make new friends but as I volunteer myself I have met plenty of interesting people while helping out with the program. The foundation cares about their members very much and have several projects to help the disadvantaged like UNIFY that helps “increases athletic and leadership opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities, while creating communities of acceptance for all.” There are many great opportunities provided to get involved with this program because they want everyone involved including the disabled as well as the community. It is also a great way to get your high school sports teams some volunteer hours or if your club wants to help out in your community SONM is a great place and they welcome all the help they can

One local organization is Kitchener Waterloo Access Ability. They are a non-profit information and resource centre that provides programs and services for people with physical disabilities. Their mission is supporting “self-determination for adults with physical disabilities based upon the principles of choice, equality, co-operation and mutual respect” (Kitchener Waterloo Access Ability, n.d.). Tee Talent can engage with this organization by sponsorship, donations, or volunteering. Kitchener Waterloo Access Ability also often works with other individuals or organizations in an advocacy role. Working with this organization provides Tee Talent the ability to promote their brand while helping others that meet similar social

III. “Determine how well the needs of adults with disabilities are being met by the travel industry” (1).

Following the amendment and reauthorization of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Microsoft Corporation began an initiative to research, develop, and market software, hardware, systems, and services that would assist and appeal to people with disabilities. The corporation also turned its attention to attracting, hiring, and retaining people with disabilities who have the qualifications to work at Microsoft a division for accessibility and disabilities was formed by the company. The goal going forward was to make valuing diversity and accessibility an article of faith at Microsoft.

For young people with a disability leisure activities take on added meaning. Participating in the Melbourne Cup stay offered a chance to share in community life, develop a meaningful social role, and acquire new skills to push the boundaries of their personal limitations (Patterson & Pegg, 2009, p. 387). Socialising with peers helped the group share common interests with non-disabled youth and break down negative attitudes and social stigma towards disability (Patterson & Pegg, 2009, p. 392). This in turn nurtured a sense of normalcy and contributed to social acceptance and belonging (Lundberg, Taniguchi, McCormick, & Tibbs, 2011, pp. 207, 212, 213).

Not only did I involve myself at the Judo club in UCLA as an undergraduate, but I also later worked to further expand the judo community in the US. The absence of any US competitors in the 2015 judo Special Olympics competition, even though the US hosted the event, highlighted the lack of contribution by judo organizations in the US toward providing classes and tournament events for athletes of intellectual disability. Being able to study international development in UCLA, as well as study abroad, gave me the skills I needed to study the ways in which judo organizations in countries like France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and even Nigeria ran their judo programs for children and adults of special needs. With this knowledge, I worked with judo instructors in the US who shared a similar passion for helping athletes with special needs to create in 2025 a new organization dedicated to expanding special-needs judo classes and events across the US, as well as finally getting a US team to be top contenders in the Special Olympics World