Section 6350.26. Recreation/leisure-time activities

(a) Recreation programs should allow the retarded person to experience regular community leisure-time activities, increase his ability to participate in these activities independently, and enhance his physical or psycho-social development, or both.

(b) It is important that the retarded person is given every opportunity to interact with nonrelated people in the mainstream of activity within the community. The following eligible situations are listed in order of priority and should be considered when funding recreation programs through the Family Resource Services (FRS) Program:

(1) The retarded person is integrated into regular community facilities and programs, that is, the retarded person participates in a regular program designed for nonretarded persons.

(2) The retarded person is in a segregated program but in existing community facilities intended for the general population and where nonretarded people are recreating at the same time, such as, a summer recreation program designed specifically for a group of retarded individuals which takes place on a community playground where nonretarded individuals are also recreating.

(3) The retarded person is in segregated programs in existing community facilities intended for the general population but regular recreation programs are not scheduled at the same time, such as, a scout troop with membership limited to the mentally retarded may hold its functions in a community facility during times when nonretarded persons are not scheduled to participate in programs at the facility.

(4) Special facilities and programs within the community serving only the mentally retarded or other handicapped persons are used for recreation purposes, such as, a sheltered workshop which operates an evening recreation program.

(5) Segregated recreation programs are provided in isolated areas outside of the community which do not allow any socially integrative opportunities, such as, recreation programs designed for mentally retarded persons living within the community which take place on State center grounds.

(c) The County Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MH/MR) Office may arrange for or provide recreation services/opportunities which may be funded through the FRS Program preferably on a fee-for-service basis:

(1) Existing community recreation services should be utilized whenever they are available, such as, YMCA, municipal recreation programs, community parks and pools, and the like.

(2) Private agencies or organizations which deal only with handicapped persons, such as, United Cerebral Palsy, Association for Retarded Citizens, Easter Seal, and the like, should operate FRS funded programs only when alternatives are not and cannot be readily available.

(3) The charges for these services/opportunities should generally be based upon the number of persons served in the recreational program and shall include the cost of facilities, equipment, supplies, and staff; however, to assure maximum benefit for the individual service recipient, blanket program funding allocated to agencies or organizations for the provision of recreational services/opportunities must be considered the exception rather than the rule.

(d) Recreation programs should be ancillary to day programs which operate daily during the week.

(1) Evening programs which operate during the week, Monday through Friday.

(2) Day or evening programs which operate on Saturdays and Sundays.

(3) Day recreational services/opportunities may be provided for retarded adults who are currently unemployed. This provision must be secondary to full day programming.

(4) Day or evening recreational services/opportunities may be provided during periods of time in which the retarded person is on vacation from employment or school.

(e) Programs must be recreational in nature. They should not take the place of educational programs but may substitute for family aid services.

(f) Recreational programs should encourage skill development, be designed to meet the socio-recreative needs of the individual, and be normal leisure-time activities, such as, bowling, swimming, dancing, camping.

(g) Each recreational program must be approved by the County MH/MR Office as being therapeutic for the service recipient.

(h) Whenever possible, the participants should assist in deciding on particular activities within the program. Services/opportunities designed for adults must provide for client involvement in the selection of activities.

(i) FRS funded recreation programs may not be a part of a regular day program. A portion of a day program—day care or vocational—may not be paid for with FRS recreation funds even though part of the day program provides recreational opportunities.

(j) FRS funds may be used for individual activities as well as for group recreation programs.

(k) Rationale for the use of FRS funds to pay for service recipient’s participation in individual and/or group recreational programs must be consistent with the overall FRS Program philosophy.

(l) The participation of service recipients in FRS funded individual or group recreation programs must be approved by the County MH/MR Office as being therapeutic for the individual service recipient.

(m) ‘‘Therapeutic’’ is defined here as that which is designed to meet the specific socio-recreative needs of the individual service recipient in the context of socially acceptable norms.