NDDDN to host recreation and disability summit
The North Dakota Developmental Disabilities Network, a unique partnership serving North Dakotans with developmental disabilities who believe the American Dream belongs to everyone, is hosting a Recreation and Disability Summit on June 25. The summit will be held in the Norse Room of Minot’s Grand International Inn. Registration for the summit begins at 8:30 a.m.
NDDDN consists of three collaborative entities, the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities on Minot State University’s campus, the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project. Together, they form a network striving to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to culturally competent community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life.
"NDCPD, along with the Protection and Advocacy Project and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, is proud to host a statewide summit on recreation and disabilities. National data suggest that people with disabilities are likely to lead more sedentary lives and engage in far fewer community recreation and wellness activities than the general population," said Brent Askvig, NDCPD’s executive director. "We know the positive benefits of recreation programs, both formal and informal, for all citizens. This summit will allow recreation providers, parents, family members, individuals with disabilities and others to discuss the current situation for recreation access and participation for people with disabilities. In addition we will have an opportunity to discuss possible activities to improve recreation programming for the future."
The keynote speaker for the summit will be Cyndi Collins, a disability rights advocate with Fargo’s Freedom Resource Center and a fitness consultant for the North Dakota Disability Health Project through NDCPD. She will discuss accessibility and barriers in fitness centers, Americans with Disabilities Act law, disability versus living well, aerobics and adaptive aerobics.
The afternoon session will include a panel discussion on the issues of recreation and disability from the agencies in attendance. The panel members scheduled to take part are Stephanie Tornatore, client services representative for the North Dakota Association for the Disabled, Inc. in Minot; Cathy Haarstad, project director for North Dakota FamNet at NDCPD; Mark Coppin, director of assistive technology at Anne Carlsen Center for Children; and Michael Freeman, information specialist at Independence, Inc.
This Recreation and Disability Summit is the fourth in a series of monthly, multifaceted summits designed to:
- provide a venue where persons with recreation and disability issues can come together to discuss those issues and provide valued input on the challenges surrounding them.
- create a list of actionable tasks to provide direction to future projects for the NDDDN.
- gather insight on how members of NDDDN can feasibly address these issues.
The Recreation and Disability Summit will conclude at approximately 3 p.m. The public is welcome to attend, and there is no fee.
For more information, contact Chad DeCoteau, summit organizer, at 1-800-233-1737 or 1-701-858-3405 or by e-mail chad.decoteau@minotstateu.edu.
06/10/09