RMP 824

Evaluating the Messaging of the Campus Recreation Accessibility Page

Evaluation Brief

Prepared by:

Allison Qualls

April 26, 2023

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1. INTRODUCTION

Evaluation Purpose
A common theme across Universities and Colleges is that most have a Campus
Recreation Organization that provides programs available to all students. However, research
shows that there are missing pieces to making their programs inclusive. In the article
“Inclusivity of collegiate campus recreation programs in region VI of NIRSA: A content
analysis of websites,” by A.M., Bruning, B.J., Cardinal, and W., Kennedy found that out of
24 universities and colleges that only 5 had websites with accessibility/inclusion pages. This
means that less than 25% of colleges and universities in that region have
accessibility/inclusion pages. Some colleges did use the words inclusion or accessibility on
their mission statement pages. Another article, “On the 25th anniversary of the ADA: How
inclusive are campus recreation programs?” By S.J., Young, W.D., Ramos, S.L., York, and
A.L., Fletcher, reviewed websites from the Big Ten Universities in the United States and
found that out of the 14 universities only 2 had pages related to accessibility. Knowing that
there is a lack of accessibility/inclusion pages at universities it is important to recognize that
this then translates into accessibility/inclusion issues at facilities and programs that students
or community members may attend. At the University of New Hampshire while the Campus
Recreation Organization has an Accessibility page, we wanted to evaluate the messaging and
student perspective of the page and their personal experiences. We partnered with the
University of New Hampshire Campus Recreation and Northeast Passage to perform this
evaluation.
This evaluation wanted to achieve an understanding of students with disabilities
perspectives of Campus Recreation Accessibility Page. Through reading research articles that
related to Campus Recreation accessibility many of the articles found that students with
disabilities did not find the facilities or programs accessible and rated those low on
accessibility. Having this research highlights the need to hear more from voices within the
community of students with disabilities. Through researching other universities and colleges
to determine how many have accessibility/inclusion pages it was found that out of 164
colleges and universities that 79 had some sort of accessibility/inclusion page. While this
information is incredibly important, having feedback from students with disabilities provides
better look into their experiences. The findings from this evaluation will be used by the
University of New Hampshire Campus Recreation and Northeast Passage staff to help
improve the information and messaging of the accessibility page that is currently available.

2. METHODS

Evaluation Questions
Through this evaluation we asked questions along the lines of:
1. “How do students with disabilities perceive the Campus Recreation Accessibility
Page?”
2. “How effective is the University of New Hampshire’s Campus Recreation
Accessibility Page?”
Establishing these questions while broad, gave us a direction in which we wanted to take
this evaluation.

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Evaluation Design
The design for this evaluation was a nonexperimental research design with a focus
on descripted research. This is because we did not use any control groups for this
evaluation. Survey questions were used to gather data and allow participants to be
anonymous. This design selected fits better with the amount of time for this evaluation. In
the future a qualitative case study approach would be a better fit considering the
population that is being targeted and the need for an IRB.

Data Collection Methods

The methods that were used to collect the data started by interacting with students
with disabilities at a program that is hosted by Northeast Passage at the Hamel Recreation
Center. We shared a QR code that linked students to the survey, however, the next steps
of data collection relied on a snowball effect. The snowball method means that
participants are encouraged to share the survey with others that they feel may also fit the
parameters/demographics. However, this heavily relies on participants sharing the survey
which may or may not work.
The sample that I used for this survey was students with disabilities who may or
may not use Campus Recreation facilities and programs. They were selected to focus on
results from individuals who have a lived experience of issues with
accessibility/inclusion. The snowball effect the of this sample was random, but focused
on students with disabilities.
Analysis
I used Qualtrics to make my survey and collect data from the survey answers.
However, due to the lack of responses to the survey interpreting the results became
qualitative instead of being quantitative. With how the survey was originally set up, a
quantitative approach would have been a better fit. In the results section you will see a
interpretation of the results and common themes that came from the answers.
3. RESULTS

Report on Data Collection

With the snowball effect I was hoping to gain more results but unfortunately only
3 surveys were turned in. This response rate is mostly due to not communicating a
deadline for results in person and on the survey.
While there was only three respondents these are demographics results: all three
students identify as male, two are considered Juniors by credits and one is a Freshman.
Related to disabilities, one uses a wheelchair, one uses mobility aides and one does not
use any type of mobility aides. All three confirm that they use the Hamel Recreation
Center and their weekly usage of the facility ranges from 1-6 days a week. The
participants rated their satisfaction with Hamel Recreation Center between 7-8. In this
survey we did find that 100% of survey participants use the Fitness Center and participate
in Adaptive Sports and/or Recreation with Northeast Passage (Court Sports, Competitive
Sports, etc.) and 33% use the indoor track as specific activities and/or programs that they
participate in for Campus Recreation. These answers can be viewed in TABLE 1.

TABLE 1
Question 10-In what types of activities and/or programs do you participate at the

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UNH Hamel Recreation Center? (select all that apply) - Other (write in additional
activities) – Text
Choice Selections Number of Responses Out of 3
Not applicable- I do not participate in 0
Hamel Recreation Center activities and
programs
Fitness center (strength training using 3
weights and machines, stretching, cardio
activities)
Indoor track 1
Intramurals 0
Fitness classes or other classes 0
Outdoor Adventures program 0
Bouldering wall 0
Adaptive Sports and/or Recreation with 3
Northeast Passage (Court Sports,
Competitive Sports, etc.)
Open gym time (basketball, pickleball, 0
volleyball, etc.)
Lifetime Activity Program classes (LAP) 0
Indoor pool 0
Outdoor pool 0
Equipment rental/loan program 0
Spectator of events, programs, activities 0
Other 0

Survey participants answered with a range of enablers or things that help them to
participate in the Hamel Recreation Center as often as they want. Participants answered
100% as friends or roommates were the number one enabler. 66% responded that enabler
is being interested in and motivated to stay healthy, facilities being physically accessible,
having access to adaptive equipment, and having fun. 33% listed that an enabler is that
they are good at the activities they do and feel good when they participate, that there are
diverse range of activities, there are programs that are individualized to meet their needs,
and they like to develop new interests and skills. This can be seen in TABLE 2.

TABLE 2
Question 12-What are some enablers or things that help you to participate in the
Hamel Recreation Center as often as you want? (select all that apply) - Selected
Choice
Choices Available Number of Responses Out of 3
Not applicable- I do not experience any 0
enablers that help me participate
My friends or roommates participate and I 3
go with them
I am interested in and motivated to stay 2
healthy
I am good at the activities I do and feel 1
good when I participate

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The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and 0

skilled
I feel welcome and like I belong 0
There is a diverse range of activities and 1
programs
The facilities are physically accessible 2
The information on accessibility is clear 0
and helpful
The program and/or activities I participate 1
in are individualized to meet my needs
I like to interact with other UNH students 0
I can develop new interests and skills 1
I have access to adaptive equipment 2
I like to have fun 2
The public transportation to/from the 0
facility is convenient
I participate as a part of a class(es) 0
Other 0

For Question 13, which is looking at identifying barriers that students may face, there is
not just one that had more answers than the others. All 6 choices that were chosen were at
33%. These answers can be viewed in TABLE 3.

TABLE 3
Question 13- What are some barriers or things that get in the way of you using the
Hamel Recreation Center as often as you want (select all that apply) - Selected
Choice
Choices available Number of Responses Out of 3
Not applicable- I do not experience any 0
barriers in my participation
Lack of programs and/or activities that 1
meet my needs
Inaccessible facilities 0
Lack of time 1
Lack of adaptive equipment that meet my 1
needs
I am not aware of programs or activities in 1
which I can participate
I am not interested 0
Lack of staff knowledge, training, and 0
expertise to meet my needs
I do not want to embarrass myself 0
School activities prevent me from 1
participating
Work activities prevent me from 0
participating
Family obligations prevent me from 0
participating

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Lack of communication about program, 1

activities, and/or facility accessibility
My disability or health condition prevents 0
me from participating
I do not feel welcome or like I belong 0
I do not have knowledge, skills, or abilities 0
to participate
The accessibility information is not 0
formatted in a way that I can use it
I do not know anyone to participate with 0
It is a challenge to get there 0
The weather is a problem 0
The activity(ies) are too hard 0
Other 0

In the last question of the survey which was “On a scale from 1 to 10, how effective is the
UNH Campus Recreation Department's Accessibility webpage at conveying a sense of
inclusion for ALL (slide the bar to number) (1 being Very Ineffective, 5 being Neither
Ineffective or Effective, 10 being Very Effective) - Effectiveness of Accessibility
webpage in conveying a sense of inclusion for ALL” the only participant that answered
rated it as a 6 out 10.

4. IMPLICATIONS
The implications of this survey will be broken down into a few different sections. The first
several questions gather information on demographics of the participants. The results showed
that the majority of the people answered as male and had a variety of different needs when it
came to using mobility devices. Depending on the mobility device this can affect how the
participant uses the Campus Recreation facilities and programs. Majority of the participants did
feel that the Hamel Recreation Center was accessible for them to use.
In TABLE 1 the majority of participants used the fitness center, this could mean a few
different things, but because there was so few respondents it is hard to make assumptions based
off of the data that we have. The majority of participants in TABLE 1 also frequent Adaptive
Sports and/or Recreation with Northeast Passage (Court Sports, Competitive Sports, etc.) which
could be mean that is a more accessible program for them to participate in or there are more
participants there that they relate to.
For TABLE 2 when talking about enablers to use Campus Recreation Facilities and
programs the biggest enabler is friends or roommates. This could mean that they are more
comfortable with that group of people or having people who have similar experiences. Which
makes using the facilities and programs a better experience. There are external factors that also
act as enablers and there were the facility being physically accessible, having access to adaptive
equipment, programs be individualized to their needs, developing new interests and skills, and
having fun. Knowing that these external factors help to enable students with disabilities to
use/participate the facility and programs should be an indicator to Campus Recreation that
providing more programs that are more inclusive/ accessible may bring in more diverse students.
For TABLE 3 this is where Campus Recreation will be able to see exactly what type of
barriers are making it difficult to participate. The answers in this table can be broken down into
two different categories. One is external factors outside of the Campus Recreations control and
the students control, these included a lack of time, and school activities preventing them from
participating. The other category is factors that Campus Recreation can improve on. These
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include, a lack of programs and/or activities that meet their needs, lack of adaptive equipment
that meet their needs, not being aware of programs or activities in which they can participate and
a lack of communication about programs.
The final question on the survey was only answered by one participant but it addressed
whether or not the accessibility page was accessible and that participant listed it as a 6 which put
it right above being neither effective nor ineffective, which implies that while it has information
it is not enough to be effective for students who use that page.
What this survey has shown is that while there are some inclusive/accessible facilities
and programs that students with disabilities use and see as inclusive/accessible there is a lack of
accessibility/inclusion surrounding programs. Suggestions that I would make to Campus
Recreation to increase their accessibility/inclusion is providing more programs or activities. It
can be overwhelming if staff at Campus Recreation are not trained in providing more adaptive
activities. Activities that I would suggest starting out that do not require a lot of equipment or
facilitation from Northeast Passage would be Sitting Volleyball, and beepball. These two
activities can be used by students with or without disabilities.
This brings me to the next two points which are communication about programs or lack
of awareness about programs. Social media platforms for Universities have been a great tool in
sharing information about upcoming programs which would help communicate to a wide variety
of students who may be interested in participating in more inclusive activities. Campus
Recreation can also work with the Dorms by sharing activities with RAs and letting students who
are living on campus of other inclusive opportunities. The other way that Campus Recreation can
share information is partnering with Student Accessibility Services who would be able to share
inclusive opportunities with their student population. Currently students are only finding out
about these opportunities through classes they take or if they have a direct connection to
Northeast Passage. Implementing these solutions may possibly help ease those barriers. The last
barrier is a lack of adaptive equipment, this would require Campus Recreation to buy equipment
that may or may not have.
Performing another survey to determine what type adaptive equipment students would
like to see, would be the first step to solving this barrier at the moment. Since we do not know
what specific equipment is needed no immediate action can be taken at the moment. The last
suggestion would to be find out specifically what students would like to see to make the
Accessibility page more accessible and what other information they would like to have to make
their experience more accessible/inclusive.