The Parks Department has a special office that serves people with disabilities - both kids, and adults and this office is called "Leisure Access Services." We have over 35 programs that serve people with a variety of disabilities - people who are blind (or visually impaired), people in wheelchairs, seniors, and many others. We have a lot of water programs too, for example, our adapted aquatics program. We teach people with disabilities how to swim. We help people with arthritis get in the water so their legs and hands feel light and limber and their joints are not painful.

We also have tennis programs and wheelchair basketball. These programs are for both juniors and adults, so somebody can start playing sports with us when they're in high school and stay with us through adulthood.

They can go to any park they want! There is a law called the Americans with Disabilities Act. Before the law was passed, people who were disabled were segregated away from people who weren't, but today that is against the law. Any park program is completely open to any child or adult with a disability. Some parks have pools that are more accessible for kids with disabilities, like our year-round heated pools with special lifts for people who can't use the pool ladder. Some parks have special playgrounds, like the one at A. D. Barnes park. But kids can really go to ANY park to have fun.

I have had lots of great experiences! Here is one - a little girl was in a car accident - she didn't have her seat belt on - and she ended up with a spinal cord injury and a head injury. For her to get around in the community after the accident she had to use what we call a "power wheelchair," and she also had to use a communication board with pictures on it, so she could talk and communicate with other people. She worked really hard for six months to get over her accident. She had to learn to drive her wheelchair everywhere she went - to school, or to the playground. She also became a Girl Scout! Her friends and other children learned how to use her communication board, so that even though she was slowly regaining her ability to talk, they could have conversations and communicate quicker. We would also change the pictures on the board to represent the activities we were doing, like when we were cooking at camp, we would use a board with more camping words. That was a really neat experience because she had to work really, really hard to go back to school and her other activities! Her friends and other children learned how to use her communication board, so that even though she was slowly regaining her ability to talk, they could have conversations and communicate quicker. We would also change the pictures on the board to represent the activities we were doing, like when we were cooking at camp, we would use a board with more camping words. That was a really neat experience because she had to work really, really hard to go back to school and her other activities!

Can children like me help with anything?