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Rhode Island has an abundance of accessible, integrated recreation programs,
services and facilities. City and town recreation departments maintain walking
and biking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, basketball and tennis courts,
swimming pools, beaches and playing fields for baseball, softball, volleyball,
lacrosse and soccer. They sponsor arts and craft activities, day camps,
concerts, and day trips that may include bowling, miniature golf, the zoo,
waterslides, movies and Pawsox and other sports contests. They help organize
community festivals, Fourth of July celebrations and events that commemorate
local historical traditions. Gymnastics, karate, yoga, aerobics, line dancing
and other exercise programs are also popular activities that may be provided by
local recreation departments.
Beaches.
According to the Rhode Island Department of Economic Development, there are
more than 100 public and private beaches in Rhode Island. And, because of the
abundance of waterfront recreational areas, visitors can enjoy a variety of
water activities including surfing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, boating and
fishing.
Division of Parks and
Recreation. The Division operates 16 state parks and 10 state beaches.
These state facilities provide accessible parking spaces, rest rooms and ramped
building entrances and accessible picnic sites and tables. Also, Colt State
Park in Bristol and Haines State Park in Barrington have accessible boat ramps.
Surf wheelchairs are available at 10 state beaches on a first come, first
served basis. Self propelled all terrain handicap surf chairs are available at
Scarborough, Roger Wheeler and Misquamicut beaches. A recreational hand cycle
is available at Colt State Park for use in the park and on the East Bay Bike
path. Access to state-operated beaches is free for some people with
disabilities. Call for more information.
Rhode Island Sea Grant has published guides to help Rhode Islanders explore
bays, rivers, ponds and coastline. Public access to the Rhode Island Coast and
A Guide to Rhode Island's Natural Places can be obtained from Rhode Island Sea Grant
Book Store, URI Bay Campus, in Narragansett. (401) 874-6842. Should also be
available at public libraries.
The Summit Association for the Handicapped. 737-5100. A private,
non-profit organization serving adults and young adults with varying
types and degrees of disabilities, along with adults without
disabilities, living in communities in Rhode Island and nearby
Massachusetts. Meets weekly at Brunswick Bowling Lanes, 70 Newport Ave.
East Providence. Activities: League bowling at East Providence Bowling
Lanes from 2:00-4:00 pm on Mondays, September through June; weekly dine
outs at area restaurants; Monday evening meetings may include guest
speakers, movie night, bingo, Family Feud, arts and crafts, movement
exercises, visiting musicians program, and other activities; day trips
to Mohegan Sun, Boston museums, the Bay Queen and other local
attractions; longer trips to Maine, Canada, New Hampshire are also
planned; annual picnic, first Sunday in August, Masonic Picnic Grounds,
Warwick; annual Christmas party.
Old Mountain Lanes. 756 Kingstown Road, Wakefield, RI 02879. (401) 783-5511.
Accessible with bowling ramps. Two accessible restaurants. Call for fees and to
arrange use of ramps.
East Providence Lanes. 80 Newport Avenue, East Providence, RI 02916. (401)
438-2300. Wheelchair accessible with many bowling ramps.
PARI Independent Living Center.
Independence Square, 500 Prospect Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860. (401) 725-1966.
Recreation information and referral. As a leader in independent living
technology, PARI develops and continuously updates a comprehensive information
and referral database containing community, state, and national resource
organizations serving people with disabilities.
Sachuest Point
National Wildlife Refuge. Occupying a peninsula between the Sakonnet River
and Rhode Island Sound, the 242 acre wildlife refuge has a newly renovated
visitor center. Sachuest, and four other National Wildlife Refuges in the
State, are administered by the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge
headquarters in Charlestown. The Kettle Pond Visitor Center - (401) 364-9124 -
at 50 Bend Road, just off Route 1 in Charlestown, celebrates Sachuest Point and
the state's other four Refuges. This facility includes interactive exhibits and
displays. Other Refuges are Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, John H.
Chafee National Wildlife Refuge, Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and Trustom
Pond National Wildlife Refuge.
Universal
Access Program, Massachusetts Division of State Parks and Recreation.
Provides outdoor swimming, fishing, boating, camping, cycling, hiking, and
picnicking opportunities in Massachusetts State Parks for visitors of all
abilities. Visitors with disabilities are welcome to participate in nature
walks and interpretive programs scheduled seasonally in 50 forests and parks
around the state. Assistive listening equipment is available upon request at
many parks. Recorded brochures, walks, and tours are also available at some
parks.
Upper
Roaring Brook Handicap Walkway and Fishing Pier, Arcadia Management Area,
Richmond-Exeter, Rhode Island. An award winning project, The walkway is 300
feet long and connects to other trails, including an additional planned 900
feet of accessible walkway. The walkway runs between a pond and a hardwood
swamp, allowing users to view different types of ecosystems. The accessible
fishing pier extends over the pond's edge.
Rhode Island Children's"First Fish"Certificate Award Program. (Scroll to
the bottom of the page) YOU'VE CAUGHT YOUR FIRST FISH, CONGRATULATIONS!! RI
Division of Fish and Wildlife, Aquatic Resource Education Program, P.O. Box
218, West Kingston, RI 02892. Contact Christine Dudley (401) 789-0281. Receive
a gift and a special"First Fish"award certificate from the Rhode Island
Division of Fish and Wildlife signed by the Chief. Rhode Island has lots of
places to fish but beginners, especially children, might have better luck and
easier access in waters that are trout-stocked and restricted to fishing by
children age 14 and younger like Seidel's Pond in Cranston and Geneva Brook and
Pond in Providence.
Hasbro
Boundless Playground. Roger Williams Park. Children with physical
disabilities can enjoy at least 70% of the play activities without having to
leave their support equipment behind. Equally important, the equipment is
designed to be sensory rich and developmentally appropriate so children with
all types of abilities can laugh, play and grow together. There is also a 3,500
square foot sensory garden which houses over 500 plants. Visitors will learn
about horticulture and the natural world through plants that have different
textures, scents and colors.
The Sarah Jane McCullough Handicapped Play Area. Crandall Field, off Main
Street (Route 3) in Hopkinton. Named in memory of Sarah Jane McCullough who was
born with a disability which confined her to a wheelchair. Sarah Jane died in
March, 2003.
Matty's Place. A accessible playground at Hazard School on Columbia
Street in Wakefield. Designed by Kompan, Inc., the playground features modern
apparatus accessible for those with special needs, and a rubber based ground
cover to ensure safety. It is named in memory of
five-year-old Matthew Siravo
who had epilepsy and many special needs throughout his five years of life.
Matty died unexpectedly on Mother's Day in 2003.
imPossible Dream
Playground. 575 Centerville Road, Warwick, (401) 823-5566.
Kids can be a train engineer, castle dweller, backhoe operator and more besides
enjoying the variety of contraptions to swing, climb or ride on. There's even
mini-golf. The site is owned by the imPossible Dream, a nonprofit organization
devoted to granting dreams to chronically ill or needy children in Rhode
Island. An added bonus: on-site rest rooms! Open daily, 10:00 am-3:00 pm,
except holidays and holiday weekends.
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