January 2024 - Parks & Recreation - 17

or individuals who may benefit
from a quiet space when feeling
overwhelmed or overstimulated.
All park components will be connected
by wide paved pathways
consistently marked with signage
displaying large font, braille and
tactile icons to enhance wayfinding
abilities for individuals with sensory
impairments. Such pathways
will originate from the parking lot,
an area that will incorporate an increased
number of accessible parking
spaces for standard vehicles and
accessible van use. This exceeds
ADA standards, thereby enhancing
direct access to all park amenities
for individuals with disabilities.
Adaptive Equipment
and Programming
To further connect the physical
amenities of the park and its users,
a fully stocked equipment rental
space will provide standard outdoor
recreation equipment, as well
as a diverse inventory of adaptive
options. Adaptive bicycles and tricycles,
kayaks, beach wheelchairs,
fishing
gear and a wheelchairaccessible
pontoon boat, to name
a few options, along with the necessary
related safety items, will enable
individuals with physical and/
or cognitive disabilities to explore
natural landscapes independently
or alongside their friends and family.
However, the use of adaptive
outdoor recreation equipment often
requires clinical-based knowledge
to ensure safe transfers to/
from the equipment and appropriate
fit for use. To uphold these
safety standards, an occupational
therapist is on staff to assist and
provide staff training to ensure the
delivery of safe, skilled services to
individuals who may require adaptations
to equipment or activity
participation. Such staff also will
guide the creation of inclusive programming
to encourage community
engagement, physical activity
and nature exploration through
self-led programming, such as a
sensory hike or group-based outdoor
experiences led by park staff
or area organizations
serving
groups of individuals with diverse
physical, cognitive, sensory and/or
financial needs.
Devon Boes, OTD, OTR/L, is Program
and Outreach Coordinator of the Athene
North Shore Recreation Area at Easter
Lake Park (devon@easterlakepark.com).
Member Benefit: NRPA Helps You Hire
H
iring in the park and recreation
field has always been a
hot topic and has only become even
more of a challenge in the past few
years. Increasing pay is not always
the easy answer. Looking for innovative
ways to hire and keep staff?
NRPA is here to help.
NRPA Connect - NRPA's online
networking platform (connect.
nrpa.org) is the perfect place to ask
for ideas from professionals across
the country. Type " hiring "
into
the search bar on NRPA Connect
and you will find plenty of discussions
highlighting innovative ideas
to help you with your search. In
the NRPA Connect Resource Library,
you will find folders full of
member-shared resources, including
hiring and wages, employee
wellness and discounts, and more.
NRPA Networks - These networks
(nrpa.org/networks)
are
topical communities on NRPA
Connect that meet monthly via
Zoom. NRPA Networks provide
the opportunity to have collaborative
discussions with like-minded
professionals. Our networks have
hosted meetings dedicated to hiring
talented staff, including last year's
Leadership Development Network
meeting, " Heartbeat of an Organization:
Part-Time and Seasonal
Staff Recruitment and Retention. "
These meetings have been recorded
and posted in their network libraries.
Don't miss future discussions.
Join a network today!
NRPA Career Center - The
NRPA Career Center (careercenter.
nrpa.org) is the place to find qualified
individuals looking to be in the
field of parks and recreation. There
are more than 27,000 résumés posted
to the career center right now. In
2023, more than 900 professionals
created job-seeker accounts to apply
for positions through the NRPA
Career Center. NRPA members not
only receive a discount, but they
also may post seasonal and parttime
positions for free.
With the resources above, NRPA
is here to guide you through the
process. If your agency is an
NRPA Premier Member, don't forget
to promote NRPA Membership
as a benefit in your job description!
See all the ways NRPA can
help you hire today at nrpa.org/
Membership. If you have any questions,
reach out to NRPA Membership
Director Hayley Herzing at
hherzing@nrpa.org.
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | J ANUAR Y 2 0 2 4 | Parks & Recreation
17
http://www.nrpa.org/networks http://www.connect.nrpa.org http://www.connect.nrpa.org http://www.nrpa.org/Membership http://www.nrpa.org/Membership http://www.careercenter.nrpa.org http://www.careercenter.nrpa.org
January 2024 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2024 - Parks & Recreation
