Focus on Teaching Gateway Skills
A survey on outdoor recreation (http://atfiles.org/files/pdf/OutdoorNextGen.pdf) identified the need to provide “gateway opportunities” to inspire and grow future generations of future outdoor enthusiasts. A gateway activity encourages participation in other activities which leads to active lifestyles.
A question is what are the “gateway recreation opportunities” for people with disabilities, seniors and other marginalized groups? Are they the same as the general population? I think this concept could have tremendous to how children with disabilities are taught in schools and the focus therapeutic recreation should have. The statistics also show a great dropoff in participation over someone’s lifespan (from 79% between the ages of 6 and 12 down to 34% by the time someone is 65). Considering demographics and the fact that people with disabilities already have much lower participation rates in outdoor activities, the opportunities to address this gap are incredible. Any solution, however, has to consider a strategic approach that considers environments such as:
- Formal and informal situations
- Schools
- Parks
- Recreation
- Rehabilitation
- Other???
If bicycling, fishing, hiking, camping, and running/jogging represent the gateway activities for the general population, where does that leave people with disabilities?