Demographic trends related to the baby-boomer generation suggest that the future will necessitate significant increases to the workforce serving this population. Recreational-therapy services are no exception, as this area of practice ties directly to the anticipated health-care and quality-of-life needs of this growing segment of society. The…

The history of parks and recreation is deeply rooted in child's play. From Joseph Lee's writings about the developmental benefits of child's play at the beginning of the 20th century to the establishment of the University of Illinois's Motor Performance and Play Research Laboratory in the 1960s and 1970s, child's play has been a central focus of…

Beyond the standard definitions found in the dictionary, words commonly used in the recreation field have subtle, yet powerful connotations of which senders and receivers of information may not be consciously aware. These words elicit different conscious and subconscious reactions that likely bear significant consequences for recreation agencies…

Individuals with disabilities currently represent the largest minority group in the United States, yet recreation undergraduate students often perceive this as a population they may or may not provide services to in their future careers. The activities presented in this paper, Inclusion Knowledge Audits (IKA), are developed to make the connection…

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandated that facilities and programs are accessible, so people with disabilities can be included in all aspects of community life including recreation (Dattilo, 2002). Understanding accessibility standards is not an easy task. Educators are faced with the challenge of teaching technical content,…

Argues that recreation and leisure studies curricula often fail to provide students with adequate knowledge to understand, critically analyze, and discuss leisure. By studying leisure from a humanist perspective (philosophy, history, and literature), educators can respond to this problem, preparing students to critically respond to challenges they…