Inclusion Program Lets People With Disabilities in Clayton and Richmond Heights Participate In Community Recreation

Kirby and Charlie Miller of Clayton are like two peas in a pod. The identical 6-year-old twins are inseparable. They hold hands as they run down center court, tug on each other’s shirts and bump into each other while standing in line during their basketball skills class at .
 
Shadowing the boys, and deflecting a stray basketball or two headed their way, is Josh Hirschfeld. Both Miller boys have autism, and Hirschfeld—a 20-something rec center employee—helps keep them focused. He is their support person, and his help is provided free of charge through a St. Louis County inclusion program managed by the .
 
It enables children and adults with disabilities to engage in existing recreational activities—including craft classes, summer day camps and basketball drills—by providing them with the accommodations they need at no additional cost. Activity fees may be charged, and personal care is not provided.
 
“Inclusion benefits everybody,” said Mary Furfaro, inclusion coordinator for the Mid-County region. The region includes Clayton, University City, Brentwood, Maryland Heights and Webster Groves. “Kids are more open (to each other) because barriers are broken down.”
 
While the Miller boys are friendly and affectionate, they have limited language skills because of their autism. “It’s hard to have a conversation with them,” said Laurel Miller, the boys' mother sons.
 
Miller heard about the inclusion program at the Clayton rec center.
 
“I consider myself a mom ‘in the know’ with my school district and teachers,” said Miller. “No one ever mentioned this (program) to me.” Now, she said, she loves it.
 
“We welcome kids of all abilities,” said Furfaro, who has worked with Kirby and Charlie since they enrolled in the program last year. Furfaro has been the mid-county coordinator for nearly nine years.
 
North County, South County and West County in St. Louis, in addition to cities in St. Charles County, also have inclusion programs and coordinators. Coordinators organize inclusion services within each region and work closely with participants and their families or guardians.
 
“We focus on the person first, not their disability,” Furfaro said. “For instance, I’m a person who walks, not a walking person. I’m here to make sure that people with disabilities get what they need, and that the facility is accessible.”
 
The process usually begins when a city's parks and recreation department notifies an inclusion coordinator that a program participant needs help in a class or activity. The city supplies the inclusion coordinator with names and telephone numbers of the participant's parents or guardian, and a meeting is scheduled. 
 
“We talk about their child’s abilities as opposed to their disabilities,” Furfaro said. Parents or guardians complete a detailed two-page recreational assessment and answer questions about the participant’s ability to comprehend and communicate, and what he or she likes to do.
 
After a review of the assessment and other necessary information, Furfaro determines what type of support service is needed.
 
Support can be as simple as providing a welcoming environment, modifying the class activity, changing the staff-to-student ratio and, when necessary, supplying a support person to accompany the participant during the activity.
 
Finding a support person can take time. Furfaro first looks at recreational staff within the host city and widens her search as needed. Teachers or adult friends can also serve as support people. Furfaro provides training, and the host city temporarily hires them.
 
The goal of the program is independent participation.
 
Elias Shumway’s support person has a degree in recreational therapy and works with a couple of children enrolled in the Mid-County inclusion program.
 
Elias is a strawberry-blond 9-year-old from Richmond Heights with a big personality. Like the Miller boys, Elias has autism.
 
His support person has been with him for a couple of months and through a couple of sports. “He likes whatever sport is in season,” said Maryan Shumway, Elias’ mom. Right now it is basketball, and Elias plays on a team. Previously, he played soccer.
 
“I wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to play sports on a team,” Shumway said. The program has “been a wonderful social outlet for him.” But it’s been good for the other kids, too. “They root for him when he makes a basket.” And that warms Shumway’s heart, whose son is the only special-needs kid on the team of 10.
 
Since the establishment of the St. Louis County inclusion program 20 years ago, children and adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and epilepsy have participated in local recreational programs, craft classes and day camps. It operates with goals of bolstering self-esteem, teaching skills, providing socialization and helping participants develop a sense of community.
 
Maryan Shumway said the program has done that. It has “given Elias an outlet. It has helped him in his progression—emotionally, physically and cognitively,” she said. “He is now able to follow directions, and his self-esteem has grown.”
 
While inclusive services are free to residents, there are costs associated with the program. Those are borne by cities and offset by an annual grant from the Productive Living Board for St. Louis County Citizens with Developmental Disabilities.  The board is supported by a property tax levy that passed in 1979.
 
Despite a reduction in its revenue, the Productive Living Board is committed to the inclusive services program.

“It is a very important program that is well established and has a good track record of performance,” said Joyce Prage, its executive director. “Their funding is secure.”
 
That makes the Millers and the Shumways happy.

“The program has been wonderful,” Maryan Shumway said. “It would hard for us to duplicate it at a lot of other places or on our own.”