Photo Credit: Jennifer Skulski
This column, “LBWA” (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what’s going on in the field, a parks and rec leader has to leave his or her desk and “wander around” the area of operations, talk to people, ask questions, and kick around ideas with the individuals in the thick of delivering services to the public. So the author will bring up issues that may be common to many PRB readers and ask the leaders who are the readers to weigh in and share their knowledge and experiences.
Pioneers in quest of accessible public facilities in the 1970s may have put public restrooms or sport concession buildings at the top of their list, but thanks to those important efforts, accessibility today is designed into those facilities.
Seasoned parks and rec professionals may recall that the first Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) draft was presented to Congress in 1988 and was passed in July 1990. Prior to that, there weren’t any design, construction, or operational standards that applied to the use of public facilities by handicapped people.