NSSRA recognizes that some individuals with disabilities would benefit from social opportunities available by participating in programs offered through their local park district or recreation department . Inclusion provides a choice for individuals of varying abilities to experience recreation programming within their community . An Inclusion companion ’ s role is to blend into the program with the partner agency staff while providing the appropriate amount of support to promote independence .

Inclusion services are offered to residents of NSSRA ’ s 13 partner communities at no additional cost to the family . Inclusion support may come in the form of one or more of the following : program observation , staff training , program modifications / adaptations , modified equipment , and / or an Inclusion companion .

» A parent or family member recognizes that a participant would benefit from additional support in a partner agency program .

» The partner agency staff identifies a need for additional support , for safety and programmatic reasons and communicates this need to the family .

When registering for a program with one of NSSRA ’ s partner agencies :

» Mark the accommodation section of the registration form . This can be indicated in the following ways : Special Accommodations , ADA Information , or Americans with Disabilities Act .

» Once the registration form is submitted , the partner agency will contact the family to discuss the type of Inclusion support needed for the participant .

» The partner agency will provide NSSRA with an Inclusion request that contains both program and participant information .

» The family is then contacted by NSSRA to further discuss the needs of the participant and get input on the type of support needed .

» NSSRA will work with the partner agency to put the necessary Inclusion accommodations in place .

» Communication between NSSRA , partner agency staff , and the family continues throughout the Inclusion process .

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