The following contributor opinion is by Dr. Reeve Brenner, President of the National Association for Recreational Equality. Dr. Brenner will appear this week on Montgomery Municipal Channel (Ch. 16) during the "Municipal Notebook" show, discussing Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park. (Thursday at 7:30 pm and Friday-Sunday at 10pm):
- It is good there are programs (scheduled activities) for the different segments of the able-bodied and disabled populations.
- Where are the recreational/sports drop-in facilities in our parks and recreation centers for the differently abled - facilities that are inclusive so that everyone can participate together?
- Why are there no inclusive facilities - without cost! - for wheel-chair users, children with MS, Muscular dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, autistic children, Down syndrome, developmentally different and other differently-abled children and adults?
- There are many no-cost facilities outdoors for all others. Why not for the differently able?
- Why only scheduled programs for these special populations?
- Other children do not need supervised activities at a rec center or at ball fields to make use of public facilities, why do they?
Why are there playgrounds for young children, play fields for athletes and older children and no Playcourts for post kindergarten ages? Playgrounds are provided without requiring membership costs. But developmentally challenged and differently able school age children, young teens and adults are ignored. They by contrast are offered no outdoor or indoor “Inclusive” facilities for ball playing. Able individuals by contrast are provided with many courts such as basketball - and tennis in abundance. Why?
Why do we continue to build recreation centers like Twinbrook, in our own community, with ball-playing facilities - which receives our largest budget and land use -for everyone able-bodied but nothing for special populations (and for mixed and diverse families), and no drop in facilities for wheel-chair users, the autistic and the developmentally dissimilar and other differently-abled youth? Why do special populations continue to be overlooked in our recreation centers and parks? Able-bodied individuals and elite athletes do not have to wait for a scheduled program. They drop in. And play ball. Why do the differently-abled still not have similar drop in ball fields and facilities available without cost, without staff and adult supervision as do all other youngsters, children and adults?
Why do communities offer first, and often only, exclusionary, fast-moving tennis and basketball facilities, speed and strength-dependent sports that exclude seniors and the differently-abled? Why are basketball courts (ten courts) and tennis courts (two) constructed in the Twinbrook rec center at huge costs and not one facility for differently-abled children who would also like to play ball as drop-ins without expense but cannot play tennis and basketball as drop-ins.
Should we not be raising consciousness and awareness for the recreational needs of the entire community?
Is it a right-thinking policy of a community that disabled children and adults have no drop in facilities? Why do they have to depend on prearranged and supervised programs as others do not? All others have tennis and basketball courts in abundance and baseball, soccer and football fields and the like - all running fast-moving facilities. These facilities do not lend themselves to drop in play by wheelchair users and non-athletes who also wish to recreate by playing ball. The special populations also wish to drop-in whenever they would like and also have an opportunity to play ball alongside and with their family and friends. They cannot in parks of Rockville - and Montgomery County, MD.
Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. To submit your opinion for consideration, contact us.
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