This flexible lab space will house specialized adapted recreation and sport equipment such as sport wheelchairs, recumbent bicycles, and modified golf clubs, but also adaptive resources that are designed to enable mastery of other types of activities such as art, music, dance and outdoor recreation activities.
There will be equipment for many disability-specific activities such as "beep-ball," "seated volleyball," and "Goal Ball," but also tools that allow persons with disabilities to participate alongside others without being segregated into specialized programs. Specialized grips to assist in painting, drawing, throwing, striking, catching or playing a video game; sound-making game equipment to assist in locating balls or bases, and sensory-based modifications that suit the needs of those with sensory processing difficulty are all part of this learning space.
In addition, a multipurpose, latex-free floor will be in place to accommodate the use of ambulatory devices such as braces, walkers or sports wheelchairs, but also allowing for this open-space area to serve as a dance and movement studio for not only the therapeutic recreation program, but also the Bearcat Steppers Dance Team and the Northwest Dance Club.
Therapeutic recreation is a bachelor’s-level degree that leads to a national certification as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).
The program consists of about 30 undergraduate students and an online graduate program of about 40 students. Northwest’s program is nationally known and annually hosts the Midwest Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation with attendance of about 250 recreation therapists from throughout the country.
Learn more by contacting the Northwest Foundation at
660.562.1248 or advance@nwmissouri.edu
