Accessible recreation beyond parks in Federal Way

A variety of health, fitness and recreation programs for people with disabilities break down barriers in Federal Way.

By Keelin Everly-Lang • July 30, 2024 7:30 am
One of the latest offerings in the Inclusive Recreation program at the Federal Way Community Center is Sit and Fit, where participants make exercise fun by adding pom-poms and rock music. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror
One of the latest offerings in the Inclusive Recreation program at the Federal Way Community Center is Sit and Fit, where participants make exercise fun by adding pom-poms and rock music. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror

While parks can be challenging and expensive to transform in inclusive and accessible ways, the inclusive programs at the Federal Way Community Center are showing that creativity can help overcome these barriers.

The community center currently serves about 250 people with disabilities and has 450 people on their mailing list who stay up to date on events and activities.

The center provides trips throughout the community on weekends and school programs during the week to mainly adults, and some youth, all with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The programs include social events like dances, life skills classes, sports programs and groups for health and fitness.

Sabrina Bates has been the inclusion coordinator at Federal Way Community Center for the past year. She shared that their biggest barriers for participants tend to be financial barriers or a lack of access to transportation.

Coming up soon, the FWCC program will host a trip to the Renaissance Fair. As with other trips, Bates said she called ahead to see what accessibility looks like: “They say that they’re ADA accessible, but the fair is located on grass … so we’ll see!” she said.

Recreation coordinator Kevin Hutchinson said that over a decade ago, he worked to help break down some of those barriers — applicants can now get up to $150 per person per year toward activities. The community center has a contract with the Developmental Disabilities Administration, which Hutchinson said can also help offset costs.

New trips and activities are added frequently and it really comes down to “knowing each person individually and their abilities,” Hutchinson said, adding that “our staff get to know each participant on a personal level,” in order to know what they are able to do and what they are interested in doing.

Hutchinson and Bates have both worked in inclusive recreation for many years. Some of the changes they’ve seen involve a greater awareness of the need for accessible and inclusive options. There has also been an increase in understanding of needs of neurodivergent individuals, which has shown up in more mainstream accessibility features around sensory needs like quiet spaces at events.

Hutchinson also said that kids today are much more accepting in general and that there is a trend of having more integrated programs so that they are not so separate: “The way they speak and engage with each other” has changed, Hutchinson said. They are “more open and friendly with people who are different than them.”

Federal Way parks

When it comes to Federal Way’s parks themselves, “we try to have at least some elements for people of all abilities,” said parks director John Hutton. “We’re always watching for the best trends and the coolest things out there. And that includes everything for ADA, fun, accessibility issues, and everything for inclusivity.”

Vandalism is one big barrier that the parks department faces.

“It’s frustrating because it’s expensive and it takes away from the people who want to be able to enjoy it,” said Jason Gerwen, deputy parks director.

The AbilityWhirl at Steel Lake Park is the latest victim of vandalism, and is currently not in use because of it.

The AbilityWhirl is a “wildly popular piece of equipment” that is meant to be used by those in a wheelchair. But for now the parks department doesn’t have an estimate for when it will be back up and running. One reason for this is that the manufacturer is in the UK, so “the replacement parts are large and bulky and will have to go through customs.”

Accessibility and inclusion mean something different for each person, depending on need and ability. As just one example, the parks department created a chart that indicates whether a park has ADA access. This refers to specific parking places and curb ramps and paths, but those with different disabilities might need something completely different aside from wheelchair access.

Another note on ADA access in Federal Way: the parks department had a misprint on its most recent addition of this chart and labeled Steel Lake as inaccessible when in fact it does have wheelchair access at the lower parking lot closer to the boat launch area.

Looking to the future, the parks department has a goal of remodeling one playground a year, although the department got a bit behind during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next park to be remodeled is Alderbrook Park, and as with all new remodels, Hutton said the parks department will be keeping accessibility in mind.

Another potential project for the parks department is installing communication boards that children who struggle with verbal communication could use to make friends.

For families or individuals who want support with specific accessibility needs, Hutton said to just reach out directly to the parks department by calling 253-835-6960.

“No matter what we put on a chart, it’s not going to answer those very specific needs about a child,” Hutton said, adding that if parents call, then the parks staff can “make a really good suggestion or three.”