Improving Accessibility at Charleston County Parks
By: Thomas McNerney, Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission At Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC), inclusivity is more than just a buzz word. CCPRC believes in offering equal opportunities and necessary modifications to make all feel welcome. At the center of CCPRC’s culture are their core values, one of which is accessibility. Over the past 24 months, CCPRC recognized a need to improve accessibility and began developing a plan to be more accommodating to all people. In March of 2019, CCPRC hired the WT Group’s Accessibility Practice to conduct an ADA and accessibility audit of all parks, programs and services, and to develop a Transition Plan as required by the ADA. The full report was presented to CCPRC’s Commission in August 2020. The audit revealed that despite recent efforts, there is still room for improvement. A three-phase plan has been devised to be completed over the next 11 years. While the completed audit provides an outline for long-term improvement, CCPRC has started taking steps toward greater accessibility today. Recently, an Accessibility Core Value Committee was established to spread awareness among staff and build momentum for efforts to improve accessibility. Staff members Steve Hutton and Ashley Houdyschell were certified as ADA coordinators through the University of Missouri College of Human and Environmental Sciences and the Great Plains ADA Center, and will serve as leaders in the efforts. Their knowledge and insight will help guide the committee with agency-wide training initiatives and push CCPRC’s accessibility growth.
20 SOUTH CAROLINA Recreation and Parks • www.scrpa.org
CCPRC is also in the process of establishing an Accessibility Citizen’s Advisory Committee, which will provide valuable feedback to CCPRC staff about the services they believe are most needed by the public they represent.
