ORCA: Outdoor Recreation and Community Access
2001
by Joan Herbage O’Keefe
Introduction
Only a handful of centers for independent living across the country offer
a recreation program as an integral part of their service array. One center,
located in the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska, took the plunge
and did just that. Now consumers are kayaking among icebergs, growing
tomatoes in the city owned greenhouse, cutting turns down the ski slope,
attending the symphony and accessing the community as never before. Consumer
satisfaction is soaring. And the center is reaping a myriad of exciting
benefits.
ORCA, Outdoor Recreation and Community Access, was established in Juneau
as a joint effort between Challenge Alaska (a therapeutic recreation program
based in Anchorage, Alaska) and Southeast Alaska Independent Living Inc.
(SAIL Inc). Initially the program was a Challenge Alaska satellite office
housed within SAIL Inc. After three years, ORCA became an official program
of SAIL Inc. Today ORCA is the biggest and arguably the most successful
program at the center.
ORCA offers year-round recreation opportunities to people of all ages
and many disabilities. This past year, ORCA served 122 unduplicated participants
throughout Southeast Alaska, offering more than 200 one-day activities.
The program also works with dozens of generic community recreation providers
to increase accessibility and tear down the physical and attitudinal barriers
to full inclusion.ORCA activities run the full spectrum from high adventure
to community inclusion activities. High adventure activities include an
adaptive ski program, sea kayaking, hiking, archery, rafting and multi-day
wilderness adventures. Community access activities include a city league
bowling team, community service projects and attendance at cultural events.
ORCA offers therapeutic gardening, programs for school-age youth, a transition
program for youth 18-24 years old and collaborative activities with Juneau
Alliance for Mental Health, the Pioneer Home and the Juneau Senior Center.
Need
Recreation is a vital element for quality of life for all people, regardless
of ability or disability. Independence and choice is a right that should
extend beyond the workplace and into all aspects of peoples' lives--including
leisure and recreation.
In a comprehensive study by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation/Institute
of Social and Economic Research, recreation ranked fifth in importance
of need by Alaskans with disabilities. This need is not specific to Alaskans.
The National Organization on Disability/Lou Harris & Associates Survey
of Americans with Disabilities addresses the need for recreation services.
The survey, released in 1998, states that “69% of adults with disabilities
say that their disability prevents them in some way from getting around,
attending cultural or sports events, or socializing with friends outside
their home as much as they would like to....” Obviously, recreation
is an area that consumers themselves see as an important, integral element
in their lives.
Consistency with IL Philosophy
At a conference last spring, an individual stopped me in the hall and
asked, “How can your center justify putting precious resources into
recreation? It's not a core service.” I maintain that our center's
recreation program embodies all four core services. Additionally, the
regulations for the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 (34C.F.R. Section 385.4
(2001)) identify “individual and group social and recreational services”
among the independent living services that may be included in a center’s
service array--beyond the four core services.
Information and Referral (I&R) The busiest phones at SAIL, without
a doubt, are in the recreation office. “The school picnic is at
Sandy Beach. What do you know about all-terrain wheelchairs? How can I
try one?” “I'd love to bowl again but I don't have the strength
to hold the ball anymore. What equipment is available?” “Can
you sign me up for your wildlife cruise? Is it true that the bathrooms
are accessible?” “What literature do you have for my staff
on disability etiquette?” I&R thrives through the recreation
program.
IL Skills Training Under the umbrella of “recreation,” the
ORCA staff teach a wide variety of independent living skills. The examples
are many and varied. A consumer expressed interest in joining a city league
bowling team. He identified transportation as a barrier. At first an ORCA
staff member worked one-on-one with the consumer. They studied the bus
schedule and rode the bus together for three evenings. The consumer's
confidence built and by the fourth session only a reminder call took place.
By the sixth week, the consumer was riding the bus independently and throwing
strikes and spares on Tuesday nights in the city league.
The ORCA program also offers several youth programs. The transition program,
for youth 18-24 years old, focuses on developing the individual's own
recreational interests. Transportation, budgeting, time management, communication
skills and a wide gamut of IL skills are explored under the guise of recreation.
The ORCA staff taught a consumer who is blind and his wife who is deaf
to sea kayak. The couple grew confident in their skills after several
outings and purchased their own double kayak. The two now venture into
the wilds of Alaska independently in their double sea kayak.
Peer Counseling ORCA offers a youth program for 8-12 year olds, another
for youth in middle school and high school, the transition program for
youth 18-24 and a Healthy Choices program for people of all ages. Programs
are consumer driven and provide a forum for peers to engage one another
on a wide variety of topics.
Individual and Systems Advocacy ORCA staff provide disability awareness
and etiquette trainings free of charge to recreation providers throughout
our region. Staff advocate on behalf of consumers for accessibility, accommodations
and ADA compliance. Additionally, staff members participate on a number
of local boards (i.e., inter-agency, Parks and Recreation, Community Schools).
This is an ideal forum from which to launch some of the goals and objectives
that are related to recreational needs of Alaskans with disabilities and
to advocate for both attitudinal and physical barrier removal.
Outcomes
Southeast Alaska Independent Living Center's recreation program, ORCA,
has brought about a myriad of exciting outcomes, some expected and some
not.
ORCA has proven to be a “hook” that attracts new consumers
to the center. For most consumers, ORCA is his or her first contact with
independent living programs. More than half of the consumers at our center
are involved in the recreation program in one capacity or another. Through
the recreation program, individuals gain exposure to independent living
philosophy and knowledge of other CIL programs and services. Many referrals
have blossomed through this relationship.
The ORCA program is also a natural collaborative conduit for networking
with service providers, community and government organizations. This has
proven to be another mechanism for getting information about CIL services
out to the community, has increased referrals and has strengthened resources
through collaboration and in-kind donations.
ORCA's collaborative efforts extend to area nursing homes. A few residents
participate in ORCA's community outings and therapeutic gardening program.
ORCA staff members have developed a rapport with the nursing home staff.
This collaborative relationship provides access to residents and opportunities
to discuss home and community based options.
Although CILs can do amazing work and make real and significant impact
on peoples lives, centers are often not as visible in their communities
as they would like to be. The media, the press and the average person
on the street often don't hear about what a center has to offer. At our
center, the recreation program is the most visible of all programs and
services. Consumers, staff and volunteers are skiing and snowboarding,
cooking meals at a homeless shelter, attending the Nutcracker, organizing
fundraisers and teaching disability etiquette to tour operators aboard
a 65' catamaran.
As a result, ORCA frequently garners positive images and stories in the
press and on local radio programs. Every summer the recreation program
offers multi-day hiking, camping and kayaking trips in the Alaska wilderness.
One such trip, an arduous 33-mile expedition along the world-renowned
Chilkoot Trail, follows in the footsteps of the turn-of-the-century gold
rush stampeders. Hiking enthusiasts from around the world flock to the
area for the history, beauty and challenge. The challenge is so great
that four parties of hikers (not from the ORCA group!) were airlifted
off the trail the week of our trip for medical emergencies. The ORCA group--a
consumer blinded in a bear attack in his youth, a woman with severe autism,
a young man with pronounced fetal alcohol syndrome, two consumers with
developmental delay, two staff and one volunteer--were greeted with admiration
as they conquered the Chilkoot. People to this day debate whether or not
Lee was the first blind man to successfully reach the summit. Local media
picked up the story and ran front-page coverage.
Costs
How does a CIL offset the costs of running a recreation program? Our
center got creative, piece-mealing operational costs from a wide variety
of sources. SAIL's recreation program receives approximately 20% of the
annual budget through fees for service, 17% through fundraising events,
20% from in-kind donations and corporate donations, and the remaining
43% pieced together through various grants.
Fees for service can take a variety of forms. Participant fees are one
such avenue. The ORCA program charges nominal fees for recreation opportunities
and transportation. The philosophy is that recreation costs--and has an
inherent value--for everyone, whether you have a disability or not. Scholarships
and a sliding scale are available. Other fees for service include simple
contracts negotiated with local care provider agencies and a vendor agreement
with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. ORCA is authorized to
provide therapeutic recreation, independent living skills and job placement
assistance to DVR clients who are referred by their counselors.
Fundraising can take many forms. ORCA hosts an Autumn Auction, a Ski-a-thon
pledge drive and a wildlife cruise donated by Allen Marine, a sightseeing
and ship building enterprise. SAIL staff and board members are discussing
new fundraising ideas. A Native American button blanket, crafted and donated
by an appreciative consumer, has sparked interest in a raffle. In Alaska,
a raffle necessitates obtaining a gaming permit. A multi-sport race (skiing,
running, kayaking) is also receiving serious consideration.
In-kind donations are invaluable and can take many forms. Volunteerism
(ORCA uses approximately 75 community volunteers annually), parking, lift
passes at the Eaglecrest Ski Area, facility rent at the City-owned greenhouse,
equipment storage, training, and the donation of other goods and services
are vital to the program and substantially stretch available dollars.
Another cost-saving measure is to hire a volunteer from one of the many
sponsoring organizations across the country. Vistas, Mennonites, AmeriCorps
and Jesuit Volunteers are just a few examples. Our center contracts with
the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) Northwest, headquartered in Portland,
Oregon. After an application process, the JVC matches a volunteer to the
ORCA Activity Coordinator job description. ORCA, in turn, interviews and
accepts or denies the placement. If all parties agree to the placement,
the volunteer soon begins a year of service. All costs combined (health
insurance, placement fees, room and board, stipend, travel), SAIL pays
less than half of the expense of a comparable employee.
It used to be that grants for therapeutic recreation were hard to come
by. Although grant opportunities are far from prolific, the number of
opportunities is increasing as “quality of life” begins to
take its rightful place as a valued element to the human experience. In
some cases, existing grants can be amended to add recreation goals and
program costs. SAIL receives Part B and Part C funds. Both sources now
have funds identified for the recreation program. A Department of Transportation
Coordinated Transportation grant was used to purchase a 13-passenger accessible
van. A City of Juneau Youth Activity Grant defrays some of the cost associated
with ORCA’s youth programs. An Alaska Mental Health Trust offsets
costs of the Healthy Choices program. Negotiated pass-through grants from
the State of Alaska Department of Developmental Disabilities provide additional
recreation services to consumers and training to recreation providers.
Two highly competitive rounds of Federal recreation grants have also hit
the streets the last few years.
Conclusion
Recreation has been identified as an important, integral element in the
lives of all people, regardless of ability or disability. To address this
need, Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) Inc. broke the traditional
CIL mold and seven years ago added a recreation program to their service
array. Outdoor Recreation and Community Access (ORCA) was born. The program
is consistent with independent living philosophy, attracts new consumers
to the center, enhances collaboration and networking among agencies, brings
positive and increased visibility to the center, and most importantly,
addresses a need voiced by consumers. Why not consider adding a recreation
program to your service array? The benefits just might surprise you.
Contact Information
ORCA
SAIL, Inc.
3225 Hospital Drive
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 586-4920 (voice/TTY)
(907) 586-4980 (Fax)
orcasail@gci.net
About the Author
Joan Herbage O’Keefe became the executive director of Southeast
Alaska Independent Living Inc. (SAIL) this last spring after four years
as the program director of SAIL’s therapeutic recreation program
(ORCA). Joan, her husband and grandson live aboard their 42' boat, the
MV Quality Time, in Juneau, Alaska.
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