Educational Guide by KEAN-Cell of Alternative Youth Activities

Educational Guide

The specific Educational Guide has been produced as a material with guidelines for interactive learning, inclusive volunteerism and active participation of disabled people. It has been formed through the program EuropeAid and through the trainings which have been realized in the framework of EuropeAid, in order to help disabled to get involved actively in the local society and get familiarized with volunteering activities. EuropeAid programme addressed to people with disabilities living in Cigli Municipality, Izmir, Turkey and had duration of one year (15/08/2013-15/08/2014). The core purpose of this project is the inclusion of people with disabilities into local society and the shift of the traditional perception of the latter from passive recipients of social activities to active contributors to the local level. The project “Special MVP” proposes activities with the active participation of people with disabilities as well as local stakeholders in the context “Nothing about us without us”.

The program has been established in three pillars: 1) Develop inclusive VOLUNTEERISM, namely volunteerism accessible to everyone without discrimination on the grounds of disability. 2) Increase of PARTICIPATION of people with disabilities in vocational training/non formalexperiential learning. 3) Improvement of accessibility in every type of activity, including international MOBILITY projects.

ULTIMATE RECIPIENTS: 

Disabled people,



Family and Social Environment,



Local community/national, local authorities and



Civil Organizations / NGO’S

OBJECTIVES OF THIS MATERIAL: 1) Provide trainers and organizations for disabled, with guidelines and theoretical background for educational activities. 2) Create a base for further development of non formal activities and experiential learning. 3) Promotion of volunteerism and make people eager to create participatory communities without discrimination, based on volunteerism and encouragement. The hereby manual is divided into 3 parts/Chapters. The first one describes the relation between volunteerism, disabilities and the mentality which is the dominant related to this issue. Moreover, we quote some ways in order to raise the awareness local environment and foster the contribution in this endeavor, in a more practical manner. The second part describes analytically the role of non formal education (main differences between formal and non formal education), games, methodology, working tools, challenges and the positive impact which has in the enhancement of their daily lives. In addition to this, you can find some tips and counseling from the trainer of Europe Aid. In the last part, we can find witnesses of disabled people, of stakeholders who participated. They gave their response in two questions:

1) Did

their

participation

the

trainings

encourage

their

further/successful

involvement? 2) Which are their expectations for the future?

Resource: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2013/aug/14/disabilities-difficult-volunteering-roles

Is it possible and if yes, wich is the proper way? What does actually mean Volunteerism? Volunteering motivates people to help others and to develop independence, becoming the givers not the receivers of care, and becoming active

participants,

not

excluded

from

opportunities. As a volunteer you feel more independent, with more self esteem, confidence and doing more things yourself, without external help. You'll also meet and socialize with other people in your community. Volunteering is a great way to create new social relationships, increase interpersonal skills, and do wonders for confidence levels!

How can volunteering help people with disabilities? Definition of disability and parameters: The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act Defines a disabled person as anyone with ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect upon his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’ (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/50/contents) (http://www.volunteering.org.uk/component/gpb/disabled-people)

In this section, a person with a disability is defined as someone who has a substantially reduced capability to communicate, socialize, learn and travel, and is continually in need of support services. Disability refers to something which is attributable to an intellectual, psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairment or a combination of those impairments which is permanent or likely to be permanent. Disability covers a wide spectrum of Physical impairments (difficulties in moving parts of the body) including:  Sensory impairments (hearing or sight)  Communication difficulties (speech impairments)  Learning difficulties (for example Autism, Down’s Syndrome)  Mental health issues (eg. depression, schizophrenia)

People with a disability are often thought about in terms of what they cannot do. For people with a disability, volunteering can be a manner which simplifies the involvement in the community. In some (rare) occasions, it can also lead to paid employment, confidence, friendship and enjoyment.

Barriers to volunteering There are extremely limited opportunities for people with a disability to volunteer. This can be due to barriers such as awareness and understanding in the wider community (especially in societies where people are not tolerant towards the diversity and they still reinforce stereotypes), access to transport and people with disabilities seeing themselves as recipients of volunteering rather than volunteers themselves. (http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/142/over3.html)

Common myths and issues of people with disabilities volunteering include: Barriers to involving disabled people in volunteering. Lack of understanding around what a person with a disability can contribute to volunteering. Traditional attitudes of people with a disability doing 'light work'.

Concerns that a person with a disability will not be as reliable because of poor health. Organizations unable to provide flexible work arrangements, physical access and provision of equipment. Stakeholders need disability awareness training in relation to communication, etiquette and language. This is particularly important if various barriers exist. Addressing barriers to volunteering for disabled people is not as complicated as some organizations assume. Good awareness training, staff attitudes, mentoring systems and accessibility into buildings, toilets and social rooms is all it takes. Of course, like everyone, people with disabilities have individual barriers that they have to overcome. It is important to consult with the volunteers and work together to identify and overcome obstacles.

Social Inclusion, Community Membership Volunteer service has the power to contribute to the vitality of communities, countries, and people around the world. It also has the power to transform volunteers in the process, leading to increased confidence, a strong sense of personal accomplishment, new professional aspirations, and more. International volunteerism can be a particularly empowering experience for people with disabilities who traditionally have been recipients – not providers – of volunteer service. Like all volunteers, those with disabilities bring a unique knowledge and skill set to any program or project. Volunteers with disabilities also help dispel stereotypes and change perceptions about what people with disabilities can and cannot do in countries and communities with fewer opportunities than the United States. In return, volunteers with disabilities, as well as their fellow volunteers without disabilities, can gain insight into their own culturally based perceptions of disability through the lens provided by interactions and experiences in a different culture. Given the social isolation of many people with disabilities, volunteering is important and one of the most useful manners for really getting to know other community members. The social lives of many people with disabilities often consist of “activities” and “outings” such as shopping or attending movies, without genuine opportunities to get to know others. While efforts to promote volunteerism should never displace finding jobs and increasing the income of people with disabilities, many people with limitations in their abilities and vocational opportunities will not have the chance to befriend others through work; volunteering can provide powerful alternatives.

Working with people who have a disability People with developmental disabilities often are on the receiving end of contribution. People without disabilities often report getting a great deal of satisfaction from volunteering for people with disabilities. When people with disabilities themselves have the opportunity to volunteer, they can receive those same benefits. The more opportunity they have to give, to contribute to others, the more personal satisfaction is possible.

Developing Skills Volunteering provides many opportunities to learn and to practice skills that can be useful in all sectors of their life

Status and Reputation In any city or town in the country, examine the lives of the people considered the leading citizens. Almost invariably, everyone is involved in some form of volunteering. Actors and actresses, politicians, and corporate executives receive huge acknowledgment and recognition for their “charity work,” the benefits they put on or attend, the work they do for a vast array of groups, and many for their own foundations. For individuals who have historically been in the most socially devalued roles, their volunteering can serve to shift their own view of themselves, as well as their community’s and the entire cultural view of people with disabilities.

Inclusive Volunteering: People, Family, and Community Perspectives Communities are strengthened when the assets of every citizen are recognized, utilized, and valued. Inclusive volunteering (i.e., the engagement of volunteers with and without disabilities) capitalizes on the assets of community members who traditionally have not been sought out. However, when individuals of diverse abilities are supported appropriately, these barriers

can

successfully

overcome

and

win-win

scenario

realized.

(http://www.scope.org.uk/support/disabled-people/volunteering)

Tips for attracting people with a disability. 

Build relationships and partnerships with community groups that involve people with a disability.



Promote volunteering in ways that include people with a disability. Consider advertising in publications that target people with a disability.



Mention in your advertising that people with a disability are welcomed as volunteers.



Be clear and consistent about the volunteer’s role and responsibility to the organization.

(http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/resources/communityservices/volunteering/documents/rec ruiting-volunteers.pdf)

Non Formal Learning (NFE) Interactive games Experiential Learning

Description – Methodology – Tools – Targets: According to the Quality Assurance of Non Formal Education (written by European Youth Forum Working Group on Non Formal Education, with the support of European Commission and the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe), NFE is an organized educational process that gives people the possibility to develop their values, skills and competences other that the ones gained in the framework of formal educational system. Those skills include a wide range of competences such as interpersonal, team, organizational and conflict management, intercultural awareness, leadership, planning, self-confidence and responsibility.

What is special about NFE? Individuals participants are the actors actively involved in the education/learning process. The methods used aim to give people the tools to further develop their skills and attitudes. Learning is an ongoing process. One of the crucial features is LEARNING BY DOING. Non formal does not imply unstructured, rather, it refers to the fact that the process of non formal learning is shared and designed in such a way that it creates an environment in which the learner is the architect of the skills development and influence the learning process. Nonformal education is instruction that is not obligatory and structured and is learned outside the context of a formal school. The term is often used in reference to adult education. Nonformal education includes any organized educational activity outside the established formal system- whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity that is intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objectives. This education is called nonformal because: 

It is not compulsory



It does not lead to a formal certification, and



It may or may not be state-supported.

Inclusion is regarded as a wider concept and focuses on the changes needed within society to end the exclusion of certain groups so that all citizens are accorded full human rights and equal status. For education, inclusion implies the need for changes in every aspect of the education system to create environments where all who wish to do so can learn.

Prerequisites for using Non formal learning tools If each learner has a different learning style, then how can we facilitate the learning of all these people? In this paragraph, we try to find effective ways to respond to the different needs of each learner through the active participation of all learners, without exception. Specifically, all the workers, facilitators, trainers have to consider the following: 

Understanding the learners and determine their needs.



Before starting the teaching-learning sessions, trainers have to look around to see whether their centre is a comfortable place for learners to come.



Active learning: If we just stand up in front of people and give them information, we do not know whether they are interested in or have understood what we said. Learners have to actively participate in order to satisfy their learning needs.

Europe Aid and Non Formal Learning An inclusion strategy requires not only actions for the preparation of society to include disability within its activities; it is also indispensable that the disabled acquire the necessary preparation to undertake their active role in the society. The training of individuals with disabilities took place in Izmir. Therefore, it has been organized a training addressed to 30 people with disabilities in Cigli Municipality in order to cultivate their digital competences, their communication skills in foreign languages (English) and their social and civic competences.

Methodology: The method used was peer-to-peer, experiential and mutual learning (mainly, role playing games). During the specific training, trainees participated in interactive games, worked in mixed ability groups for the development of voluntary activities in the parks, became familiar with internet research and paid visits to parks and historical monuments.

Objective: The objective of this training was to provide people with disabilities with all the necessary skills in order for them to get included actively in CSOs or organize activities on their own (voluntary and educational activities).

Which are the expected results? The participants of the training cultivated the managerial skills necessary for the management of a voluntary or educational activity and therefore became actively involved in local voluntary activities. One of the unique points of this training was the empowerment of the self-esteem of people with disabilities to talk in public, defend their opinions and carry out activities independently.

List of games: Planetbook Orange game Blinded Castles and knights Palermo

Number of participants: 18 Mixed ability group Planetbook is the first board game about the environment, created by KEAN – Cell of Alternative Youth Activities (coordinator of EuropeAid). There are 700 knowledge questions about the environmental issues of our planet, the NGO’s for its protection and Nature’s four basic elements (Earth, Air, Water and Fire). By participating in the game the players get to know and care for the world that surrounds us as well as they acknowledge the responsibility we all have as parts of it.

The board game is divided into three zones: Grey zone- pollution and indifference. Questions and facts Questions and facts of the Earth’s disasters are raised -Green zone – hope and participation. Respected environmental organizations, such as GreenPeace, WWF and BirdLife Europe, are referred -Saving the planet zone. The player that will succeed in climbing up the “tree of salvation”, will be able to collect Earth’s pieces (pieces of a puzzle of the Earth’s image) and therefore, make a better world out of them! GreenPeace, WWF and BirdLife, as well as four Greek NGO’s (Archelon, Pandoiko, MedSOS, EvropaikiEkfrasi) have provided for Planetbook’s scientific validity by supplying the information used. Planetbook is created

a U.S.-International version, including

700

educational questions about the environment and climate changes focusing on environmental issues in the United States and the world. The team is divided in two groups. Each group supports its opinion, which is the opposite of the other team’s opinion. No matter what their real opinion is, they have to defend their group’s opinion.

The team played this game three times per day under three different topics: 1)

Rights of Women and Men – Equal or Not?

Animals – Should we have them as pets or not?

Do disabled people have the same rights as normal’?

In the middle of the game, the trainer may ask them to change teams.

Objective: They develop the sense of hearing and can understand better, but also help people with hearing problems. Players work in two and create a sound that expresses them the most. The one of two players gets out of the room and closes his/ her eyes. The other player stands still in the room and makes the sound of the team. The players who have closed their eyes need to understand where the sound of their team is coming from, come closer to the other player until they touch him.

BLINDED PATH Purpose of the game: 1) Take full advantage of their senses except of their vision and the perception of the space. 2) Understand people with vision problems. 3) Develop trust between people with and without vision problems.

HOW IS THE GAME PLAYED? The participants create a line, touching each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoulders. The first in line is the trainer, having his eyes open. The participants close their eyes, losing in this way their sense of sight. They are walking around really slowly, while the trainer gives them instructions on the tough parts of the path turns, etc).

There is one coordinator and one informant. The rest of the participants play the role of the murderers or the citizens. The proportion of murderers-total number of players is 1 to 4, namely: 8-11 people: 2 murderers 12-15 people: 3 murderers 16-19 people: 4 murderers Etc The murderers- who are the minority-know each other, while the citizens- who are the majority- donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know each other. Each team wants to destroy the other team. The informant belongs to the group of citizens but also knows the killers. His goal is to guide the citizens to kill the murderers without revealing his identity and becoming their next victim.

At the beginning of the game the coordinator gives cards to each participant. Depending on the card each one receives, s/he undertakes the role of the citizen, the murderer or the informant. Nobody can reveal his/her identity. Each round of the game is divided in two phases; the day and the night. During the day, the players accuse each other and try to reveal who are the murderers. At the end of the day, players vote and whoever gathers the most votes (accused of being the murderer), “dies”. When the night falls, all players close their eyes. The murderers open their eyes and after deciding together without making noise, they kill one of the remaining players. After that, the day comes again, with one player less. Each player who gets out of the game reveals its identity and stops participating.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY: Participants learnt how to work in a team but also how to defend themselves but also their opinions and ideas. The aim of the game is to make participants develop a strategy that they will follow until the end of the game.

CONCLUSIONS: In order to achieve your goals, you have to develop a strategy and make use of convincing arguments. For every type of activity you want to develop, you need to have an argument and be able to convince others to follow you.

Participants: 9+1 or 12+1 or 15+1 A cluster of a castle and a knight is created per 3 persons. The two persons hold hands (and create a castle) and between them there is the knight. The player who does not belong to any team says ‘Castle or Knight’. If he/she says ‘Knight’, the players who are between the castle go out and try to find another castle to get in. If he/she says ‘Castle’, the castle is destroyed and the players need to find another player and create a new castle in the place of knight.

Objective: This is s speed/reflection game. Players need to act quickly but also need to have a strategy. This game cultivates team work, speed and makes players create their own strategy.

Outcomes:

Through this participatory game, participants worked as part of team, working

under the same cause. They were introduced to the concept of successful and unsuccessful strategy.

Learning Internet Research Research for their town/landhome No of the participants: 10

The trainees were divided into groups and conducted web research on the history of their Municipality, on the local parks and collected photos which reflect the beauties of their town. In the end of the research, one member of each team, made a presentation. By this activity, trainees learn how to use PC in order to conduct research, to browse internet, to work in a mixed team. They have also learnt how to use other programs, they cultivated their communication and presentation skills through their public presentations and they saw the outcomes of their personal/team work.

Education Non Formal, informal

Formal

Invisible Learning

The importance of visits to Parks: Learning the types of parks (urban, suburban, local, supralocal, small sized, medium sized, thematic, etc) Learning how to distinguish the various types and how to take advantage of their special features for future activities Activities inside the parks. For instance, Picnic, Cleaning, Tours, Painting, Educational Visits for Schools and tourists. Using the gym equipment (if exists), as everybody else does. Playing games of awareness on the environment and the disabled. Elaboration on the flora and fauna. Coming in touch with animals.

Five reasons to spend your time in nature: 2010 a version of the Harvard Health Letter publishing five good reasons to go out and spend your time in nature: 1.

The levels of vitamin D increase. Sunlight when reflecting on the skin initiates a process that leads to the creation and activation of vitamin D. Studies show that this vitamin helps fight under certain conditions , osteoporosis , cancer, depression and heart disease . The limited sun exposure (without exaggeration), can support supplement pills if necessary.

Become more active. If you put aim to go out , this will automatically mean less time watching TV and sitting in front of the computer and more time in activities that put your body in motion .

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happier. The sunlight tends to improve people's mood, given that usually there is more light available outside the home rather than inside it . Physical activity has been shown to help people relax and improve their disposal, which means more smiles.

It will improve your concentration. Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit blaring Hyperactivity) seem to concentrate better after outdoor activities. It could also be an example that applies to adults.

You can heal faster. According to a study, people who recovered after surgery had less pain and stress and took fewer pain medications when they were exposed to natural light. An earlier study showed that the view from the window (trees against a brick wall), helped in recovery at the hospital.

Behavior rules in a park 1-04 Prohibited Uses: 1. Destruction or Abuse of Property and Equipment No person shall injure, deface, alter, write upon, destroy, remove or tamper with in any way, any real or personal property or equipment owned by or under the jurisdiction or control of the Department.

2. Destruction or Abuse of Trees, Plants, Flowers, Shrubs and Grass No person shall deface, write upon, injure, sever, mutilate, kill or remove from the ground any trees under the jurisdiction of the Department without permission of the Commissioner. No person shall deface, write upon, sever, mutilate, kill or remove from the ground any plants, flowers, shrubs or other vegetation under the jurisdiction of the Department without permission of the Commissioner. No person shall go upon or allow any animal or child in his or her custody to go upon any newly-seeded lawn or grass plot. No person shall go upon or allow any animal or child in his or her custody to go upon any area enclosed by fencing, temporary or permanent, where such fencing or signs posted thereon reasonably indicate that entry into such area is forbidden. No person shall possess any tools commonly used for gardening, or any plant, tree, shrub or other vegetation, in any park except where such possession is specifically designated to be permissible by the Commissioner. No person shall use a metal detector in any park, except in unvegetated beach areas. Use of metal detectors in other park areas will be permitted if the prior written consent of the Commissioner is obtained.

Littering, Polluting, Dumping, and Unattended Property No person shall litter in any park. All persons shall use receptacles provided for the

disposal of refuse. No person shall deposit household or commercial refuse in any park receptacle. No person shall throw, drop, allow to fall, or discharge into or leave in the waters within any park (including pools and bathing areas), or any tributary, brook, stream, sewer or drain flowing into said waters, any substance, liquid or solid, which may or will result in the pollution of said waters. No person shall engage in dumping in any park. No person shall, within or adjacent to any park, store or leave unattended personal belongings.

4. Restrictions on Glass The Commissioner may, in his or her discretion, designate certain parks, or portions thereof, as restricted areas wherein no glass bottles or other glass containers will be permitted. Failure to comply with such restrictions shall constitute a violation of these rules. This subdivision (d) shall not apply to glass bottles or containers used in the care and feeding of infant children.

5. Aviation No person shall voluntarily bring, land or cause to alight within or upon any park, any airplane, balloon, parachute, hang glider, or other aerial device, except that certain areas may be designated appropriate landing places for medical evacuation helicopters. For the purposes of this subdivision (e), voluntarily shall mean anything other than a forced landing caused by mechanical or structural failure of the aircraft or other aerial device.

6. Explosives, Firearms and Weapons No person, except a police officer or peace officer while on duty, shall bring into or have in his or her possession in any park, any firearms, slingshots, firecrackers, missile propelling instruments or explosives, including any substance, compound, or mixture having properties of such a character that alone or in combination with other substances, compounds or mixtures, propel missiles, explode or decompose to produce flames, combustion, noise, or noxious or dangerous odors. Nothing in this subdivision (f) shall be construed to prohibit the proper use of cigarette lighters, matches or of charcoal lighter fluid in proper containers in picnic grills where permissible pursuant to the provisions of these Rules.

7. Abuse of Park Animals No person shall within any park (including any zoo area) molest, chase, wound, trap, hunt, shoot, throw missiles at, kill or remove any animal, any nest, or the eggs of any amphibian, reptile or bird; or knowingly buy, receive, have in his or her possession, sell or give away any such animal or egg taken from or killed within any park (including any zoo area). No person shall feed animals in any park (including any zoo area) except unconfined squirrels and birds, and where specifically authorized by the Commissioner. The Commissioner may also designate certain areas where all feeding of animals is prohibited. It shall be a violation of these rules to feed animals in any area where such feeding is prohibited.

8. Marijuana; Controlled Substances No person shall bring, possess, distribute, sell, solicit or consume marijuana or any controlled substance, as defined in ยง220.00 of the New York State Penal Law, in any park, playground, beach, swimming pool, or other park property or facility.

9. Failure to Control Animals Except as specified in §1-05(s)(3) or in paragraph two of this subdivision, no person owning, possessing or controlling any animal shall cause or allow such animal to be unleashed or unrestrained in any park unless permitted by the Commissioner in accordance with these rules. No person owning, possessing or controlling any animal shall cause or allow such animal to be out of control in any park under any circumstances. Animals that are unleashed or unrestrained, except as permitted by these rules, or out of control may be seized and impounded. Properly licensed dogs, wearing a license tag and vaccinated against rabies pursuant to the laws of the State of New York and City of New York and restrained by a leash or other restraint not exceeding six feet in length, may be brought into a park, except in no event shall dogs or other animals be allowed to enter any playground, zoo, swimming pool and swimming pool facility, bathing area and adjacent bathing beach (unless otherwise permitted by the Commissioner and not during the designated bathing season), bridle path (unless leashed dogs are permitted therein by the Commissioner), fountain, ballfield, basketball court, handball court, tennis court, or other area prohibited by the Commissioner. Nothing in this subdivision (i) shall be construed to prohibit persons with disabilities from bringing seeing eye dogs, or other service dogs trained to assist such persons into these areas. Nothing herein shall prohibit horses from entering or being within a park as provided in § 1-05(q). Unless specifically prohibited herein or by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH"), properly licensed dogs wearing a license tag and vaccinated against rabies pursuant to the laws of the State of New York and City of New York may be unleashed within a designated park or designated portions of a park between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. under the following conditions: such dogs shall, except for being unleashed, be kept under the control of their owner and shall not at any time harass or injure any park patron and/or, harass, injure, damage, sever, mutilate, or kill any animal, tree, planting, flower, shrub or other vegetation; such dogs shall not at any time enter any playground, zoo, swimming pool and swimming pool facility, bathing area and adjacent bathing beach (unless otherwise permitted by the Commissioner and not during the designated bathing season), bridle path (unless leashed dogs are permitted therein by the Commissioner), fountain, ball-field, basketball court, handball court, tennis court, or other area prohibited by the Commissioner; such dogs shall be immediately leashed by their owners upon any direction or command of any Police Officer, Urban Park Ranger, Parks Enforcement Patrol Officer or other Department employee or employee of the DOHMH, the refusal of which direction or command shall constitute a violation of § 1-03(c); owners of such dogs shall provide proof of current vaccination against rabies and proof of current licensing upon the request of any Police Officer, Urban Park Ranger, Parks Enforcement Patrol Officer or other Department employee or employee of the DOHMH, the refusal of which shall constitute a violation of § 1-03(c), § 1-05(s)(3) and of this subdivision.

10. Control and Removal of Animal Waste No person shall allow any dog in his custody or control to discharge any fecal matter in any park unless he promptly removes and disposes of same. This provision shall not apply to a guide dog accompanying a person with a disability. Anyone who drives a horse-drawn carriage into or within a park is required to equip it with horse hampers, horse diapers or some other similar manure catching device which is effective in preventing manure from being deposited on any park street, road or way.

11. Urination and Defecation in Parks No person shall urinate or defecate in any Park, or in or upon any park building, monument or structure, except in a facility which is specifically designed for such purpose.

12. Disorderly Behavior It shall be a violation of these rules to engage in disorderly behavior in a park. A person in any park shall be guilty of disorderly behavior who: enters or leaves any park except by designated entrance ways or exits, or enters or attempts to enter any facility, area or building sealed, locked or otherwise restricted from public access; or climbs upon any wall, fence, shelter, tree, shrub, fountain or other vegetation, or any structure or statue not specifically intended for climbing purposes; or gains or attempts to gain admittance to the facilities in any park for the use of which charge is made without paying such charge; or engages in any form of gambling or game of chance for money, or tells fortunes for money; or interferes with, encumbers, obstructs or renders dangerous any part of a park or park road; obstructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic; or engages in fighting or assaults any person; or engages in a course of conduct or commits acts that unreasonably alarm or seriously annoy another person; or engages in any form of sexual activity; or engages in a course of conduct or commits acts that endanger the safety of others.

13. Loitering for Illegal Purposes It shall be a violation of these rules to engage in loitering for illegal purposes in a park. Any person in any park shall be guilty of loitering for illegal purposes who: loiters or remains in a park for the purpose of engaging, or soliciting another person to engage, in sexual activity for money; or loiters or remains in any park with one or more persons for the purpose of unlawfully using, possessing, purchasing, distributing, selling or soliciting marijuana, alcohol or any controlled substance, as defined in ยง220.00 of the New York State Penal Law.

14. Unlawful exposure It shall be a violation of these rules to appear in public on property under the jurisdiction of the Department in such a manner that one's genitalia are unclothed or exposed.

15. Obstruction of sitting areas No person shall use a bench or other sitting area so as to interfere with its use by other persons, including storing any materials thereon.

16. Unlawful camping No person shall engage in camping, or erect or maintain a tent, shelter, or camp in any park without a permit.

17. Unlawful spitting It shall be unlawful for any person to spit or expectorate in or upon any park building, monument or structure.

18. Unhygienic use of fountains, pools, and water No person shall use, or permit any animal under his or her control to use, any water fountain, drinking fountain, pool, sprinklers, reservoir, lake or any other water contained in the park for the purpose of washing or cleaning himself or herself, his or her clothing or other personal belongings. This subdivision shall not apply to those areas within the parks which are specifically designated for personal hygiene purposes (i.e., bathroom, shower room, etc.), provided, however, that no person shall wash his or her clothes or personal belongings in such areas.

19. Unlawful solicitation No person shall engage in any commercial activity or commercial speech in any park, except pursuant to a permit issued under ยง1-03(b) and/or ยง2-08 of these Rules. No person shall solicit money or other property from persons not known to such person in any park, unless such person possesses a permit for noncommercial solicitation issued by the Commissioner.

We came in contact with a limited number of participants of these trainings. Initially, we managed to communicate with non disabled people who participated in mixed ability groups.

We asked them to give us answers in the following two questions:

1. How was your experience of participating in this kind of training? Did you see any change in your perception towards disabled people? 2. Would you like to participate again?

1ST PARTICIPANT: Firstly it was great for me to gain awareness about the disabled people. For example one of the disabled volunteer said that he experienced adversities in the ATM.I never thought of that before I participated to this project. Maybe I ignored this issue before but now I'm really careful about providing necessary help to these people and defend their rights. Secondly it would be great to participate again. Besides discovering about disabled people, our trainer attributed so many characteristics to this project. Thanks to him and to the game of KEAN that we played, I've learned lots about the environment. 2ND PARTICIPANT: I have to say that we all had a great time with volunteers and disabled people. First of all we were kind of shy to talk to them, because we tried to avoid some words that may hurt their feelings. Then they made the first step, and things got easier and entertaining for all of us. I can assure you that we all changed our perspective towards disabled people and we are ready to help them in any circumstances. And lastly I would like very much to participate in this kind of training again:)