Fullerton Marks 24 Years of Providing Trips for Disabled

While some governmental agencies have only begun to address the recreational and social needs of physically and developmentally disabled children and adults, the city of Fullerton is celebrating 24 years of providing “adaptive recreational” services.

The activities--which include fishing excursions to Laguna Lake, airplane rides and other outings--run year-round. The fall program began on Tuesday.

More than 80 people participate in the program, according to Russ Akina, a supervisor in the city’s Community Services Department. Not all of them are city residents.

“We’re fortunate that the City Council has been so supportive of adaptive recreation,” Akina said. “There is no charge except for activity costs. That is, if we take the children to a museum, the parents reimburse us for the cost of admission for the kids and the staff members.

“The city funds the transportation, supervision and training costs, and the school district provides the transportation.”

Since nearly all the staff involved are part-time employees, and because facilities are shared with the Fullerton Elementary School District, the cost to the city is about $90,000 a year.

Tough economic times haven’t hampered activities, says Akina, who has been with the city since 1984, the recession started being felt this summer. “We had heard that other agencies were having problems, but this was the first time we had seen it ourselves,” he said.

“We had about a 40% increase in youths with developmental disabilities, and state funding sources haven’t been able to catch up. Still, we’re doing everything we can.”

The program coordinator is Sandy Jorgenson, who aside from Akina is the only full-time employee in the department. She supervises 22 part-time staff members and six volunteers.

Fullerton’s programs are designed for people who are “high-functioning.”

“Certainly, we aren’t set up to work with those who have severe disabilities,” Akina said. “It would be difficult for the individual and for our staff. Most of the people who participate in our activities require comparatively little attention.”

Children’s recreational programs serve those who are between the ages of 5 and 13, “basically starting at kindergarten age,” Akina said.

The youth group’s Stay and Play is an after-school program at Woodcrest Elementary School. “They might go to the Santa Ana Zoo or tour a company like the Carl’s Jr. headquarters, or visit a museum,” he said. “Or, if they stay at the school, they’ll have arts and crafts, games or movies or use the play equipment on campus.”

The Fullerton Elementary School District provides the facilities for Stay and Play, while the city provides the supervision, sometimes with assistance from regular teachers or therapists. About a dozen children participate in this group.

Happy Days, also for developmentally disabled children, meets at Hillcrest Park.

“We’ll show them movies, do arts and crafts, bring the entertainment--perhaps clowns--and take them on field trips as their mobility allows,” Akina said. “We sometimes do joint activities with other groups, and we have up to 20 students in this one.”

Friendship Day Camp is specifically for physically disabled children whose vision and hearing are not impaired. The group, which has about 10 participants, is based at Independence Park during the school year and at Woodcrest School during the summer. It adapts the activities to the abilities of the students involved, Akina said.

“At any point, maybe half the students will be wheelchair-bound, so there are certain places we can’t go,” he said. Still, the campers have gone fishing at Laguna Lake. It’s one of their favorite activities, according to Akina.

There are two programs for teen-agers and adults. Good Times, which is headquartered at Hillcrest Recreation Center, is designed for those with developmental disabilities, and Movin’ On, based at Independence Park, is available to those who are physically handicapped.

“The teen and adult groups pretty much do the same things all teens and adults like to do,” Akina said. “The Good Times group attends dances, ball games and picnics. One time, we took a group to San Diego for the weekend. They wound up touring several ships stationed there. It was a real highlight for them.

“Movin’ On is a group that really enjoys its travel,” Akina said. “They often just go to dinner in the area or to a movie, but they’ve gone as far as Las Vegas for overnight trips. Every other April, including next April, we have the Eagles Flight program. A group of pilots gets together at Fullerton Airport and takes them for rides. Many have never been in an airplane before.”

The groups have done their part to say thanks to the city and its residents, Akina said. In the past, they have worked to remove graffiti in some of the city’s neighborhoods, and for the past four years, they have helped collect toys for children at Christmastime.

For more information, call Russ Akina at (714) 738-6586.