RECREATION & LEISURE RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Below you will find resources to help people with disabilities access recreational and leisure activities in their community.

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH) www.loc.gov/nls
A free national library program of Braille and recorded materials for persons with visual and physical disabilities is administered by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress. With the cooperation of authors and publishers who grant permission to use copyrighted works, NLS selects and produces full-length books and magazines in Braille and on recorded disc and cassette. Reading materials are distributed to a cooperating network of regional and local libraries where they are circulated to eligible borrowers. Reading materials and playback machines are sent to borrowers and returned to libraries by postage-free mail.

Disabled Sports USA www.dsusa.org/
Disabled Sports USA is the nation's largest organization providing year-round sports and recreation activities to children and adults with physical disabilities. In conjunction with its nationwide network of chapters serving people in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, Disabled Sports USA offers such activities as snow skiing, water skiing, bicycling, white water rafting, horseback riding, mountain climbing, sailing, camping, and track and field. Contact Disabled Sports USA for the telephone number of a local chapter near you.

Department of the Interior Office on Accessibility, National Park Service www.nps.gov/parks.html
There are 370 parks and 7 regional offices under the National Park Service. A listing of all national parks and facilities, including general information about their accessibility, is available at the link above. However, information on accessibility of park programs, facilities, and services is best acquired directly from the park or area you plan to visit.

National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) www.ncpad.org
NCPAD provides information and resources that can enable people with disabilities to become as physically active as they choose to be. They maintain searchable directories of organizations, programs, and facilities that provide opportunities for accessible physical activity; adaptive equipment vendors; conferences and meetings; and references to journal articles, books, videos and more. Fact sheets on a variety of physical activities for people with disabilities are also available.