Salt Lake County Adaptive Recreation

About Salt Lake County Adaptive Recreation:

Visit these websites for more information;

Salt Lake County Adaptive Recreation Home Page

Individuals of all ages and abilities take part in SLc's programs. Specially designed equipment is available for many of the activities. In an attempt to eliminate the isolation of individuals with disabilities, friends and family members are also encouraged to participate or included in the rules of the activity.

Mission:

Improving lives through people, parks, and play

Who we are:

SLC Adaptive Recreation began in the 1990's with a focus of providing summer and after school programming for individuals with disabilities. Salt Lake County still provides these services, and has expanded to include several socialization and sports related activities.

Evaluation from Supervision (Midterm)

"Becca has been a great asset to our team. She is very proactive, especially in her work with the adaptive rock climbing program. She has initiated meetings with the coordinator over that program and has worked hard to make the program bigger and better. Her marketing efforts with that program have been awesome. She has also taken a special interest in helping us spread the word about all of our programs, and we're exited for her to help mange some of our social media presence.

She steps up as a leader in every intervention and staff and participants love having her around. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude are very contagious. She has been great with having a flexible schedule. When staffing needs help or something changes, she is always willing to help out.

She is not afraid to speak up to advocate for herself and participates when it is needed. Her passion for helping people with disabilities really helps them find a passion for their own lives!

"Having opportunities to apply classroom learning in a professional setting is a vital aspect of preparing for a career in the field of therapeutic recreation. Salt Lake County Adaptive is committed to providing students with practical learning experiences under the directions of a certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CRTS) in a community environment".

Internship Goals:

1. provide the intern with hands-on training and experience in several adaptive recreation activities, including the use and care of adaptive equipment, adaptive activity facilitation techniques, and exposure to a wide range of disability populations.

2. provide the intern with professional opportunities to observe and participant in all aspects of therapeutic recreation programming, including but not limited to; assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, documentation, and therapeutic relationships.

3. provide the intern with professional opportunities to observe and participate in all aspects of therapeutic recreation program administration, including but no limited to; program development, marketing, public relations, outreach, volunteer coordination, fundraising, grant wiring, statistics tracking, registration, special events, and facility maintenance.

4. Prepare the intern for the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification Exam.

RT Intern Job Description:

The intern's role in this organization is to assist in all aspects of programs and administration. Supervised under a CRTS, She/he will preform various job tasks as outlined by NCTRC. Based on experience, the intern may also serve in a leadership role, as a program leader or site supervisor. The intern will also provide information on current trends in TR services by preparing presentations for the adaptive staff.

Responsibilities:

-Attend appropriate training sessions and clinics for specific programs.

-Participate in all facets of agency operation as directed.

-Complete assignments given by supervisor.

-Attend weekly intern meetings.

-Plan and present updates regarding the NCTRC job task analysis assignments and experiences related to the TR profession.

-Participate in program and internship evalutions

-Have FUN!

Personal Goals:

1. Establish a foundation of what makes up an RT Professional.

a. By the end of the semester be able to verbally express my understanding of at least five roles, duties, and responsibilities of a CTRS.

b. Bi-Weekly visit a facility (not mine) and shadow a CTRS. Ask and answer the following questions;

i. What makes this facility unique?

ii. How do you excel as an RT?

iii. What is your most important duty as an RT?

iv. Describe what an RT is supposed to do.

c. Attend URTA meetings in February, March and the URTA conference.

2. Develop skills for creating strong therapist-client relationships.

a. By the end of the internship be able to verbally express one strength and/or improvement for each participant in a program.

b. At the end of each week discuss with my Agency Supervisor one success and one improvement for each intervention/activity based on client’s evaluated needs

3. Become confident in the implementation of the TR (APIED) Process.

a. By the conclusion of the semester, apply the TR process successfully and independently of assistance, for three different participants.

b. Verbally express to my Facility supervisor three reasons why using the TR process is a crucial aspect to our profession.

c. Participate in evidence-based practice and research in a community TR setting by finding at least 5 peer-reviewed articles for upcoming research and intervention projects.

One of my special projects during my internship was to manage the social media posts through Facebook and Instagram.

Journal entry: "The most positive experiences... was witnessing the Jr. Jazz adaptive teams as they finished up their season on top of the world. Seriously, after the last clinical practice their faces were a gleam as they received their metals and personal certificates. Half way through the session, as interns, we decided to implement a form of documentation at the conclusion of each group. It was an excellent resource to track the progression or digression of the individuals in each group. Who worked well with who, who didn’t get along, who should guard who, etc. On the last practice and game I could list the skills that each participant had improved on. It was rewarding to see participants practicing the concepts they’d learned week to week and become better basketball players. Not only had their ball skills made bounds and leaps of improvement, they were playing better as teams, gained coach-player relationships, and were generally happier and excited to be there. The season definitely ended on high note and I was sad to see it end. I image I’ll feel the same as any program in any facility comes to an end/conclusion.

Journal Entry: "Our theater group performed this past weekend. It was super fun to see the length at which they’d progressed. When put in front of an audience their personalities brightened and they were really performing at their best. Throughout the weeks leading up to the performance the stress was intense and the environment was often chaotic but each of the three day performances transitioned smoothly and it was truly a wonderful experience.

I loved watching them shine and remember their individual lines and characters personalities. Quite a few individuals had better memory retention that I originally thought. It was fun to see each of them work as a whole cast and put aside petty arguments and disagreements with one another in order to put on a successful performance. I am really going to miss this group of individuals and practicing with them twice a week".

Journal Entry: "Our participant count for the first 4 weeks of Adaptive Rock-climbing was slim. We only had 1-2 participants’ show up for the duration of the three hour block. Feeling bummed and slightly frustrated with the lack of attendees to the ratio of staff, I decided to make the program my baby. I met with the director over that program. In the meeting we discussed the steps necessary to increase numbers and how we could network with other facilities and programs around the valley. Although we are only one week into “revamping” our marketing and advertising for the program, we had 9 individuals show for rock climbing. I was on cloud-nine. I felt useful and involved, rather than just wasting time on the clock.

The participants ended up loving the adaptive chair and having a great first experience. Hopefully we can continue to increase our numbers each week. It’s an affordable, fun, and skillful activity that I think most would enjoy, it’s just getting spreading the word and engaging the participants when they show".

Assignment: Develop a program evaluation survey to send to families at the conclusion of the program.

Assignment: Student will review assessments and discuss anything that may be missing or should be added depending on which program the assessment is for. I created this initial written assessment based on the need for more specific and in depth information before entering into an adpative program.

After representing Salt Lake County Adaptive at Utah's Safety Kids Fair, I decided to create a brochure covering only adaptive recreation. Most patrons didn't know a thing about the adaptive programs provided by the county and most were puzzled at what adaptive recreation consisted of. Not only is it a great way to spread information about adaptive programs but it also puts in an additonal plug for Recreational Therapy.

Blurbs from my "Internship Reflection"

My role as an intern was defined by the NCTRC’s standard of practice assignments implemented by Ashley. I would come in everyday and for the portion of my office hours, I would work on assignments. Most assignments would involve direct correlation to the programs or individuals with disabilities I was working with. The assignments were well defined and organized. I would spend the rest of my time in programs implementing ideas, striving for improvements, and having fun. The time spent in the programs was by far the most rewarding and enjoyable. Ashley and the interns would meet once a week to cross off assignments and receive clinical supervision/feedback. My special project during the internship involved Social media advertisement and media. This was something that I picked up on my own and really took to heart. I saw the lack of utilization and made efforts of change. I was constantly thinking about potential solutions to the lack of awareness issue the adaptive programs are facing. I really wanted (and still do) to see the county make the necessary and modern changes to advance the programs offered to a new level. When it comes to advertising and promotion driven strategies, the county is behind the time. With the effort I put in, I saw an increase of attendees to some of the programs I was involved in. Based on social media reports, the county also increased with its viewers and follower count.

Biggest Pros

Pros: I benefited from the other interns I interacted with. We had some great in-depth conversations about the programs we were in and the idea of RT in a community setting. We worked well together, I felt that we made valuable co-worker relationships that helped each of us progress. We each had very different perspectives, which I think increased the value of the experience and diversified the programs for the individuals involved. I am very grateful for the flexibility Ashley offered me as my supervisor. She allowed me to work with my busy schedule and set me up to successfully accomplish both jobs. I know that no other supervisor would have been as willing and wonderful to work with as Ashley was. I loved and adored each participant I worked with. As different as personalities can be, each person I worked with showed great potential and had a heart of gold. I grew great lengths because of the influences they had on me.

Future:

Working in the community setting has pushed me to become more self-reliable and to take more personal initiative. It’s stretched me to voice and advocate for change. It’s driven me towards self-improvement and to look for successes and failures within the program structure. During the semester I’ve realized the areas in which I lack patience and the things that I enjoy doing. I’ve loved the populations I’ve worked with (which is a large variety). I hope to continue to work in a similar setting in the future as I think that the capability it has is humongous. The county can grow the most but it also requires the highest level of dedication and will-power. What better place to execute change or improvement than in your own community. I’m not opposed to working with different populations or types of facilities, as I haven’t had exposure with anything but community. I’m always up for a challenge or a change. I’m sure as I continue down the road of my professional career and establish my own self-efficacy that I will find my niche as a CTRS.