Inclusive Programming
Making It a Priority for Elected and Appointed Decision-Makers
Supporting an inclusive recreation policy helps provide better programs and services. This can also help the recreation department make a strong argument for getting more money and resources in the budget.
- Gather and provide the statistics that describe the characteristics of people with disabilities in your community.
- Provide the council with stories about how staff help participants. This could include testimonials from staff, feedback from participants and their caregivers, and examples of how programs make a difference in people’s lives.
- Tell the council about the types of people in your programs, how long they receive support (like up to 40 hours a week), and how you make programs feel personal and special. Highlight aspects of the programs that the council might not know about.
- Share achievements with the council, such as more people signing up for programs.
- You might need to talk to other departments or organizations, such as child services, because they could be affected by your policies.
- Make sure your policies match important initiatives from other municipal plans, such as diversity and inclusion strategies or five-year plans.
Rationalizing Cost of One-on-One Support and Hiring Professionals for Programs
Decision-makers might not fully understand the needs of participants because they haven’t seen firsthand how different behaviours and adaptations work. When explaining why you need more funds, show them how it makes sense for the budget. For example, explain why having one staff member support just one or two campers is necessary. Help decision-makers understand two important things:
Staff Qualifications
If staff don’t have the right training, it can cause problems.
Daily Program Experiences
Share what happens day-to-day in the programs.
To justify the level of support needed, you can…
- Compare with Other Municipalities: Collect job postings and descriptions from other cities to show that similar positions exist elsewhere and are paid similarly.
- Share Staff Stories: Collect stories from staff about their positive experiences and what they wish they had in terms of training and support.
- Report on Safety Risks: Share statistics on staff injuries and risks when staff aren’t properly trained. Also, mention how many children in your community have disabilities and might need these services.
- Share Funding Opportunities: Present other grants and funding opportunities you’ve applied for to support your programs.
To ensure your programs follow the law and respect human rights, you may…
- Consult a Human Rights Advisor: Talk to a lawyer or human rights officer to make sure your programs are doing everything right according to human rights laws.
- Discuss Human Rights Laws: Have a detailed conversation about providing inclusive support and how it fits with human rights laws. Present this information to the council.
- Explain the Need for Inclusive Support: Show how families with children who have complex disabilities often face challenges like single parenting or financial constraints. Explain how your programs can help these families by providing necessary support.
Creating a New Program
- Try out a new program and collect information such as attendance numbers and feedback. Use this data to create a report that shows how well the program works.
- Make sure your new program fits with other important plans in your municipality, like diversity and inclusion strategies or five-year plans.
- Depending on whom your program is for, collaborate with other teams that focus on diversity and inclusion, such as those working on anti-Black racism, Indigenous relations, or 2SLGBTQI+ issues.
- Present the program as a business opportunity. Use numbers and business terms to show how successful the program can be. For example, if one person attended the adapted swim program the first time and four attended the next time, that’s a 400% increase in participation. Show how the program can attract more people and increase revenue by targeting specific demographics.