Chapter 5: What Does it take to Provide Disabled Youth Access to Out-of-School time Programs?

When I interviewed straight out of college to work in AmeriCorps service for a youth mentoring program, I smiled when the interviewer asked about my experience with diversity. I grew up in the Midwest, just outside of a predominately white town and was now living in a large city in California. “Having grown up with a disability,” I said, “I was diversity in my hometown. I’m excited to learn more.”

Little did I know that the position would lead me on a path of new discovery about diversity and disability access in out-of-school time (OST) programs and schools. Now, as a disability studies scholar with previous work experience in mentoring programs, afterschool programs, and community recreation programs, I am interested in the experience of parents, youth, and OST providers in relation to how disability access is navigated in these spaces. In this chapter, I share some of my own experiences as I explore the perspectives of these groups, outline the basic legal requirements of the ADA in relation to OST programs, discuss the qualities of integrated and segregated¹ programs, and finally describe what it takes to provide a strong inclusive program.