Huntley Park District is committed to inclusion and providing equal public recreation opportunities in the most integrated setting to individuals with disabilities, as defined under applicable law. Accordingly, we do not discriminate against eligible individuals with disabilities in regard to participation in public recreation opportunities. The Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association (NISRA) is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), and all other applicable local, state and federal laws in providing reasonable accommodation and shall review requests for accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

The Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association is a partner agency of the Huntley Park District. Huntley Park District’s mission is to enrich the lives of people with disabilities with their partner agencies through quality recreation services, including providing inclusion services to partner agencies. The Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association and Huntley Park District will work together with patrons, participants, and their families to assess, address, and provide reasonable accommodation for partner agency programs, events, and activities. Huntley Park District also provides programming which is available to its partner agencies’ patrons.

ELIGIBILITY

The Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association and Huntley Park District will engage in an interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations for eligible individuals with a disability to enable such individuals to participate in any public recreation opportunity, program, activity, or event provided or sponsored by the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association.

PROCEDURES

Requests for reasonable accommodation can be made directly to the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, Program Supervisor or Inclusion contact or through Huntley Park District.  On program registration forms there is an option to indicate special accommodations.  Please fill this out accordingly and the appropriate staff person will contact you.  You are also encouraged to call as early as reasonably possible to discuss you or your child’s needs sooner than later to ensure staff can appropriately accommodate you.

PARTICIPANT, PATRON, AND FAMILY COOPERATION

Inclusion cannot be successful without the complete cooperation of the participant, patron, and/or family. Patrons and families are expected to politely, proactively, and constructively communicate with the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association and Huntley Park District, and timely share important and updated information that is relevant to the inclusion process. When patrons or families provide inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete information to staff, the agencies’ ability to adequately assess and address any situation is potentially compromised and participation may be delayed or temporarily suspended.

Consequently, it is important to provide the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association and Huntley Park District with as much advance notice as possible of the need for any accommodation.

ESSENTIAL ELIGIBILITY

Essential eligibility is the minimum set of factors that determines whether any person (exclusive of disability) is eligible to participate in a program. Essential eligibility changes from program to program, but not from person to person. Essential eligibility requirements often include:

  • Registration fees/charges – Paying the same fee everyone else is required to pay.
     
  • Age restrictions – Meeting program age requirements/limitations (i.e., preschool children 3-5, summer camp for 4th and 5th graders, baseball league for 10- and 11-year-olds, etc.)​
     
  • Complying with code of conduct/behavior expectations – All participants must abide by the same reasonable rules of conduct.
     
  • Capacity restrictions – Once program capacity is met, the program provider can deny registration (denial is because the program is full, and not because of disability, race, religion, etc.)
     
  • Residency – Program may only be open to residents (denial is based upon non-residency status, and not because of disability, race, religion, etc.)
     
  • Gender/sex – Some programs have gender requirements (i.e., girls or boys basketball, baseball, and volleyball programs – denial is based upon gender, and not because of disability, race, religion, etc.)
     
  • Minimum physical/mental/skill competency – Depending on the program/activity, participants may be required to have minimum physical, mental, or skill competencies. For example, to be eligible for a travel sport league, players may be required to prove certain offensive &/or defensive skills, or other minimum sport competency. Participants in kayak trips must be able to right the kayak should it overturn, and in the event of an emergency, must be able to swim (alone) a certain distance, with only the aid of a personal flotation device. Campers in an advanced performing arts camps must be able to play an instrument, dance, or sing in tune. Members of a chess or bridge club must have the mental skills necessary to understanding and playing the game of chess or Bridge. Participants in a counselor-in-training summer camp program must have basic cognitive skills (i.e. ability to focus, discern important from unimportant, physically respond to emergency situations, effectively communicate with campers and staff, etc.).​
     
  • Toilet-training requirements – If a program never provides toileting assistance to any child or participant, then such a personal service would not be required to a child or participant with a disability. However, the child or participant cannot be excluded from the program because he or she was not toilet trained and a parent agrees to come and do the diapering, or the family pays for a personal attendant.

ACCESSIBILITY STUDY AND COMPLIANCE

The District will periodically perform a self-evaluation of its accessibility for programs, services and facilities. The evaluation will be performed at a maximum every five years or when a District Master Plan is adopted, whichever comes first. Evaluations may also be performed upon request from local or federal governments, the District’s Safety Committee and the District’s liability insurance company. The evaluation may include staff and community involvement, an ADA Compliance Officer named by the District, a review of job descriptions and an implementation plan. 

ACCOMODATIONS FOR USE OF A MOBILITY DEVICE

Individuals with mobility disabilities are permitted to use power-driven mobility devices or electronic personal assistance mobility devices as well as wheelchairs and manually powered mobility aids, such as walkers, crutches, canes, braces, or other similar devices designed for use by individuals with mobility disabilities in any indoor or outdoor areas open to pedestrian use. Persons with disabilities should contact the District’s ADA Coordinator for more information.  Please see full policy here.

ACCOMODATIONS FOR SERVICE ANIMALS

Program participants, visitors, park or facility users or employees with disabilities may request to have a service animal accompany them. The district may impose some restrictions on service animals for safety reasons. Please see full policy here.

Persons with disabilities should contact the District’s ADA Coordinator, Wesley Peete, by email or phone at (847) 669-8934, located at the Huntley Park District Administrative office at the Rec Center, 12015 Mill St. for more information or assistance.

Any other requests or comments regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act, in relationship to the District, can be referred to the Executive Director located at the Huntley Park District Administrative office at the Rec Center, 12015 Mill St.