GLOBAL VISION PROJECT: Global Vision of Rehabilitation
and Recreation for People with Disabilities in the 21st Century

FORECASTING:
"Eleven Predictions for the USA's Recreational Therapy Movement, 2001-2025"

by Prof. John A. Nesbitt, Ed.D., CTRS, Pres./CEO
Special Recreation for disABLED International

KEY
ARTA - American Recreational Therapy Association, founded 2001 to 2025.
ARTM - American Recreational Therapy Movement, circa 1906.
ATRA - American Therapeutic Recreation Association, founded 1984.
NART - National Association of Recreational Therapy, founded 1953 to 1966.
NCTRC - National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, f. 1981.
NRPA - National Recreation and Parks Association, 10 branches/sect., see PAA.
NTRS - National Therapeutic Recreation Society Branch of the NRPA, f. 1966.
PAA - Playground Association of America, founded 1906; evolves to NRPA.
PIC - Play in Institutions Committee, Playground Assn. of America, 1906-07.


NOTE. The Recreational Therapists "patient" include infants, children, youth, adults, and seniors who are disabled. The disability may be illness, injury, disability, or disadvantagement. The "patient" may also be referred to as a client, consumer, member, participant, resident, or other title.

I. "Recreation Therapy/ist" Terminology. Basic universal professional terminology will be adopted using the terms, "recreational therapy, recreation/al therapist." The use of other terminology has dis-served the public, the profession and practice, and patients and participants. The formerly used and now re-adopted name will enhance the Recreational Therapists self-identity and understanding by the public.

II. A Reverse Merger of NTRS and ATRA into "ARTA". There will be a second merger in the American Recreation Therapy Movement. It will meld the National Therapeutic Recreation Society-Branch of the National Recreation and Park Association into the independent, incorporated, historically based American Therapeutic Recreation Association. Prior to or upon the occasion of the new merger, the official name of ATRA will become ARTA, American Recreation Therapy Association.

III. Two Tracks. The American Recreation Therapy Movement will practice a
two track model for service to people with disabilities:

III.A. The recreation therapy, treatment-oriented institutional-based model.
III.B. The special recreation, adaptive-oriented community-base model.

IV. NRPA and Community-Based Special Recreation. The National Recreation and Park Association will re-instate its historic interest in people with disabilities dating back to 1906-07.(1) NRPA will re-create its 1930s "Play in Institutions Field Service" and that services re-incarnation as the NRPA "Consulting Services on Recreation for the Ill, Handicapped, and Aged." At one point the Consulting Service has a 10-person field service staff. The new re-incarnation will enhance the community special recreation in the USA's 5,000 local park and recreation departments with 250,000 recreation workers who are in a position to serve millions of local citizens with disabilities.

V. Client Amelioration. The American Recreational Therapy Movement will focus directly, effectively, and successfully using its prescriptive-treatment models:

V.A. Ameliorative and therapeutic measures that will use medical/health models, diagnostic and/or prescriptive model/s in a manner that measurably enhances health/medical status of clients, affectively, cognitively, mentally, physically, and socially.

V.B. Rehabilitative and habilitative measures that will use assessment, treatment, evaluation procedures that produce educational, medical, recrea5tional, social, and vocational benefits for categories of clients and program clients. The categorical/program approach will focus on:

V.B.1.  Infants, children, and youth clientele, special education program.
V.B.2.  Young adult and adult clientele, rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation, independent living, and other programs.
V.B.3.  Senior clientele, health, medical, residential programs.
V.B.4.  Categorical patient, client programs designated as impaired because of: aging and ill-aged, convalescence, deafness, developmental disabilities, emotional problems, physical and neurological impairment, social problems, visually impairment, and other.

VI. Advocacy for Human Rights and Civil Rights. Legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990, will be advocated by the American Recreational Therapy Movement resulting in the greatly increased participation by people with disabilities in play and recreation and protection from denial of equal play and recreation opportunity.

VII. Alignment with US Government.
The American Recreation Therapy Movement, through the "American Recreation Therapy Movement" and other organizations, will align itself with Federal legislation and programs to obtain Federal support including funding support for recreation therapy and recreational therapists. The NRPA is traditionally remote from Federal Government; but, it may see the value in Federal support for local special play and recreation programs and services provided through local "Recreation and Parks Departments."

The new ATRA will conduct a program of vigorous exchange and liaison with Federal agencies that serve:

Adult Disabled and the Vocational Rehabilitation Program.
Disabled Children and Youth and the Special Education Program.
Aging Programs and Services.
Programs Serving

Developmentally Disabled,
Drug Abuse/Impairment,
Hearing Impaired,
Mentally Ill,
Mentally Retarded,
Visually Impaired, and
All other disease and disabilities programs.

VIII. Advocacy Directed at Civil Society, All Government, Private Sector. The new, merged ""ARTA"" will adopt advocacy as a major goal and carry its message to:

Civil Society, the public at large;
All levels of government, including the United Nations and international bodies; and,
Commercial, private section recreation service.

This advocacy goal will focus on obtaining participation, support, and funding for recreation in all care, treatment, rehabilitation, community settlement, and community participation of people with disabilities.

IX. Professional Validation of Recreation Therapy. Recreational therapy/ists will increase significantly the scientific validation of the ameliorative impacts of recreational therapy on patients/clients in treatment and rehabilitation and client functioning in institutions and in the community. The provision of professional recreational therapy will be measurable cost effective.

X. Recognition/Status in Medical and Health Care. The Recreational Therapy/ists and the new "ARTA" will achieve recognition and status among medical, health care, and rehabilitations services and professions comparable to Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, but, of course, be recognized as quite unrelated to OT or PT in goals, methods, and results. Play and recreational are terms that high quality personal and qualitative connotations as contrasted with terms that lack those qualities.

XI. World Recreation Therapy Association. The American Recreational Therapy Movement, especially ATRA, will be active in founding a "World Recreational Therapy Association" as an independent, incorporated organization which pursues an international mission comparable to World Occupational Therapists Association" and the "World Confederation for Physical Therapy" in terms of serving 50 or more "professional member nation-organizations, working with the Unite d Nations and UN Specialized Agencies, providing information to over 1,000 UN Non-Governmental Organization Affiliates, and cooperating with up to 25 world organizations on activities, and providing international technical assistance.

(1) The "Play in Institutions Committee" of the Playground Association of America (the original progenitor of the National Recreation and Park Association) was operational in 1906-07 and beyond.
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GLOBAL VISION PROJECT:
Global Vision of Rehabilitation and Recreation
for People with Disabilities in the 21st Century
A JOINT PROJECT BY:
Disability International Foundation AND
Special Recreation for disABLED International

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