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Universal Design has become more prevalent in the general use of architectural design in recreation and the design of parks. This paper features a large privately funded park in Tulsa, Oklahoma that from the first concepts of design wanted to meet and exceed accessibility standards. of the Americans with Disabilities Act and 2010 ADA Accessibility Guidelines by incorporating Universal Design Principles. The author explains how throughout the process, from planning to implementation, Universal Design Principles were applied to various aspects and elements of this park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the Inclusive Indoor Play study was to learn about indoor play and develop design guidelines to inform design of inclusive playthings. PARTICIPANTS: Children with and without disabilities, parents, teachers, therapists, daycare owners and designers. METHODS: Focus group interviews; Children's drawings; and Indoor play simulation. RESULTS: The major findings suggest that: 1) play should encourage a child's creativity and develop imagination, 2) inclusive play concept must be employed to design playthings for children with wide age group, 3) inclusive designs improve usability, broaden market appeal, and increase user base, and 4) customizable playthings help children with and without disabilities personalize play situations. Three play principles provide new directions to designing inclusive playthings: 1) offer many play opportunities, 2) provide many modes of play, and 3) include many levels of play challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusive Design Guidelines were developed from the findings of three studies: Focus group interviews, Children's drawings, and Play simulation. The guidelines served as useful tools for inclusive design and they were employed to design of six indoor playthings. The playthings were instrumental in promoting social inclusion and they met the criteria of the Inclusive Indoor Play project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of innovation Theory is proposed as a framework for understanding what must occur for inclusive recreation practices to become more systemic throughout community recreation agencies. The theory rests on the premise that aspects such as how quickly an innovation is adopted, by whom, and when are subject to predictable variables based on attributes of the innovation and characteristics of the individual or group of adopters. The theory proposes that once agencies falling into one of the first three groups have adopted an innovation, a "tipping point" is reached. The tipping point is the point after which further diffusion of the innovation becomes self-sustaining. In this case, inclusive recreation would spread quickly until it became standard operating procedure. A thorough understanding of this theory, especially as it relates to characteristics of adopter groups, could potentially provide a roadmap for change agents regarding the roles that they could play to ensure that the tipping point, where people of all abilities have ongoing access to the community, is reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the history and state of the journal "PALAESTRA," which was founded in 1984. Highlights include the role of David Beaver as the first editor-in-chief of the journal from 1994 to 2011, the International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity in Charlottesville, Virginia, and articles in Volume 33 that focused on programming for children with autism spectrum disorder.