Benefits and Components of an Inclusive Adventure Program for Families with Children Who Have a Disability.

Autor/inn/en	Scholl, Kathleen; McAvoy, Leo; Smith, John
Titel	Benefits and Components of an Inclusive Adventure Program for Families with Children Who Have a Disability.
Quelle	(2000), (12 Seiten)Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Adventure Education; Camping; Disabilities; Family Environment; Family Programs; Family Relationship; Leisure Education; Normalization (Disabilities); Program Attitudes; Minnesota + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Adventure pedagogics; Abenteuerpädagogik; Erlebnispädagogik; Handicap; Behinderung; Familienmilieu; Family program; Familienprogramm; Freizeitpädagogik; Normalisierung
Abstract	A nonprofit outdoor adventure organization and a nonprofit advocacy organization for persons with disabilities and their families collaborated to develop a comprehensive, inclusive, outdoor recreation program for families. Ten Minnesota families having one or more children with a disability participated in Project FIT (Families Integrating Together) over an 8-month period. Program activities included 20 hours of outdoor skills training and trip planning, a family outdoor adventure trip of 3-6 days duration, and opportunities for families to share common interests and mutual support. Each family integrated into a regularly scheduled canoeing or camping trip in Minnesota or Wyoming. Family interviews and a focus group revealed that families benefitted from program participation by increases in their knowledge and confidence as a family unit. Pretrip training sessions helped to decrease parents' fears about camping, and most families came home from the extended trip with increased confidence about planning family outings and managing their child in the outdoors. Families identified five program elements that contributed to successful whole-family participation: attention to safety, appropriate but real challenge, opportunities for socialization among all family members, balance of group and individual activities, and qualified staff to provide technical and personal support. Challenges for program staff included getting families to enroll, designing appropriate training sessions, and helping families determine their support needs in a strange environment. (Contains 20 references.) (SV)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC