The City is dedicated to providing meaningful recreation opportunities for participants experiencing disability through both adapted and integrated program options.
Adapted programming includes modified environments, lower staff participant ratios and individualized instruction. Inclusion programs have included Inclusion Youth Crew, RAD Club, and VOLT hockey.
Inclusion Services
Inclusion one-to-one support staff are available to facilitate successful participation in all City of Barrie recreation program. Inclusion one-to-one support staff may provide redirection for safety reasons, allow opportunities for breaks, assist with personal care (e.g., feeding, toileting, changing, etc.), etc.
There is an additional cost and separate registration required for inclusion one-to-one support staff. Participants must register in one-to-one support in advance to ensure that support staff provided by the city are available.
To register for one-to-one support, please follow these steps:
- Register into your desired program on play.barrie.ca.
- Register into the “Inclusion One-to-One Support" program for the same dates/times as the program selected.
- Notify inclusion.services@barrie.ca of your registration at least two weeks before the start of the program. It is important to contact Inclusion Services as soon as possible as it is not guaranteed that Inclusion One-to-One Support Staff will be available for the date(s) and time(s) requested.
- Complete a Participant Information Package for the participant that is registering for the program. Updated Participant Information Packages should be submitted every two years or sooner when information changes.
As per the City's Health and Safety Policy, the City may require that a participant bring an external support worker that can provide a higher level of support. The support worker can be a paid support worker (at the family's expense), a family member or another non-paid individual. Not providing a support worker may result in the participant being not allowed into to their desired program until they are able to attend with a support worker.
The City of Barrie welcomes external support workers into our programs at no additional cost. All support workers must (a) be at least 16 yeas of age and (b) provide a copy of a Criminal Record and Vulnerable Sector Check (dated within 6 months of the program start date) to inclusion.services@barrie.ca. To attend a registered program with an external support worker, please follow the following steps:
- Register into a program on play.barrie.ca that meets the needs, hobbies and interests of the participant.
- Register the participant (not the support worker) into the “Partners in Recreation" program for the same dates/times as the program selected.
- Provide the Support Worker's name and current Criminal Reference Check to Inclusion Services at Inclusion.Services@barrie.ca before to the start of the program.
Inclusion Participation Form
Participants registering in one-to-one support or adapted programs are asked to complete the Inclusion Participation Form to provide additional information on their support needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
A participant usually benefits from one-to-one support in a recreation program if they:
- Need or currently have additional support in a school setting
- Have a safety plan in place at their school setting
- Engage in behaviours often that could affect their safety or the safety of others
- Need extra support at home for personal care such as feeding or toileting
- Are currently using services from a disability or mental health agency
To discuss the individual needs of your participant, contact Inclusion Services at 705-739-4220, extension 4773 or inclusion.services@barrie.ca .
Following HIGH FIVE® guidelines, all programs are designed to be developmentally appropriate for a specific age range.
Age overrides are considered on a case-by-case basis and can be directed to Recreation Information at recreation.information@barrie.ca. If the age override is needed for an adapted program or for inclusion one-to-one support, please contact inclusion.services@barrie.ca.
If an age override is given, the instructor will decide whether the course is a good fit for the participants. Instructors may discuss other program options with the caregiver if needed.
No. All City of Barrie programs are independent activities unless otherwise indicated. Caregivers, siblings and friends are required to be outside of the program space. Some program spaces have a window or door where you view program activities. We ask that this be done not very often so that participants are not distracted.