The winter weather outside might be frightful, but the blooms of the newly renovated Sandusky Community Greenhouse are absolutely delightful. The community greenhouse and Sandusky/Erie Community Foundation are beneficiaries of one of the $15 million in grants awarded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Access to Recreation initiative.

by Jennifer Skulski

Accessibility guidelines for outdoor developed areas managed by federal agencies are one step closer to becoming standards. On October 19, 2009, the U.S. Access Board released the Draft Final Accessibility Guidelines for Federal Outdoor Areas covered by the Architectural Barriers Act.

This draft marks another milestone of more than 15 years of work by the Access Board and vested stakeholders including regulatory negotiation in 1999. The issuance of this draft document brings the adoption of accessibility guidelines for outdoor developed areas closer to finalization and implementation under the Architectural Barriers Act. It further defines accessibility considerations for outdoor recreation environments and provides needed guidance to land managers on minimum standards to design for the inclusion of people with disabilities in these outdoor environments.

by Jennifer Skulski

“Doing more with less” seems to be the decades old mantra for many park and recreation agencies. These lean economic times aren’t any different. Simply, the frequency by which the old saying is used has increased and practitioners are pushed once again to find creative new approaches to meet bigger challenges. However, even when budgets are tight, recreation providers cannot afford to ignore ADA and Section 504 compliance. Here are four no-cost or low cost things you can do in 2010 to keep your accessibility management program on track and continue planning for improved access for your participants and visitors with disabilities.