Date of Award

2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Abstract

Although the right to participation is enshrined in official policy, children with disabilities frequently face barriers to participation that are not encountered by their peerswhoaredevelopingtypically. Thisisimportantbecauseparticipationin recreational plays a critical role in children’s social and physical development. Other research has indicated that recreational environments influence participation experiences, and has suggested drat environments can both facilitate and hinder children with disabilities. This thesis adds to what is known about the organizational

culture o f supportive recreational environments by reporting die findings o f an ethnographic study o f one such organization. Guided by a symbolic interactionist

perspective, this research invokes the metaphor o f a water-lily to study organizational culture on several levels. The analysis provides a detailed description o f one supportive recreational organization and identifies thirteen themes drat characterize a supportive recreational organizational culture. The discussion proposes a model of a supportive recreational organizational culture and includes a table of recommendations for programs that are interested in enhancing their organizations.

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