NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council Awards $175,000 to SUNY Cortland, NY

ALBANY, NY (12/14/2007)(readMedia)-- New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) awards $175,000 to the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, NY.

Historically, there have been few if any opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to be involved in any sports or other leisure activities. In an attempt to correct this problem, George E. Fertal, Sr., Chairperson, announced that on December 13th, 2007, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) awarded five $175,000 grants, for the second year of a potential three year funding cycle, to establish a sustainable, statewide University based Inclusive Recreational Resource Center that promotes inclusive recreation, sports and leisure time activities and a corresponding matching referral service that connects people with developmental disabilities to such inclusive activities.

The Inclusive Recreational Resource Center (IRRC) at SUNY Cortland has been developed to assist in the establishment, administration and promotion of inclusive recreational, sports and leisure-time activities throughout the State. In accordance with these goals, the IRRC has set out to educate future recreational and park professionals in best practices in inclusive recreation, developed collaborative relationships with self-advocates and local recreation agencies to initiate systems change that is sustainable and pertinent, begun assessing the availability of inclusive and accessible recreational opportunities in the state to be cataloged in a user-friendly sustainable online database, and developed and piloted a referral service that matches people with developmental disabilities and family members with recreational facilities and services in their communities.

Dr. Lynn Anderson, CTRS, CPRP, Professor and Chair, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, SUNY Cortland, states, “The mission of the new center, named the New York State Inclusive Recreation Resource Center (NYSIRRC), is to promote and sustain participation by people with disabilities in inclusive recreation activities and resources throughout the state. In the first year of the grant, we developed a user-friendly tool, the Inclusivity Assessment Tool, and provided training to people across the state on how to use the tool, through our workshop Inclusion U. The programs, parks, and recreation facilities that are assessed using the Inclusivity Assessment Tool will be entered into an extensive online database, which aligns with the I Love NY tourism regions. The database will be a comprehensive bank of information, sorted by region, on how inclusive and accessible recreation resources are around the state, to help people with disabilities and their families better plan their recreation. In addition, parks and recreation professionals that need assistance in improving program or facility accessibility, and any individual with a disability that wants help in finding more inclusive recreation, can contact the Center for assistance. Our goal is to help people with disabilities achieve their “recreation dreams and aspirations!”

The DDPC is a federally funded state agency dedicated to designing and implementing new programs that serve New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and their families in the most effective way possible. Sixty percent of the Governor-appointed membership of the DDPC is parents and people with developmental disabilities. For more information on the DDPC, go to: www.ddpc.state.ny.us.

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