Municipal Guide for Disability Inclusion in Recreation and Physical Activity

Course Summary

This course takes participants through the key components of the Municipal Guide for Disability Inclusion in Recreation and Physical Activity, which was developed by Active Abilities Canada in partnership with the CDPP 2.0 and released in 2025. While this course was created for municipal recreation leaders (directors, managers, coordinators, etc.) and focuses on increasing disability inclusion in municipal recreation contexts, the learning objectives can be applied to the recreation, physical activity and sport sector in Canada more broadly. Thus, this course is for any individual or group interested in learning more about how to increase opportunities and improve quality participation for persons with disabilities in recreation, physical activity and sport!

Course Learning Objectives

Define disability and the medical and social models of disability
Describe the demographics of disability in Canada
Explain the benefits, barriers and facilitators of recreation, physical activity, and sport
Describe the recommended amount of physical activity for persons with disabilities
Understand the role of municipal recreation in disability inclusion
Explain how accessibility legislation supports municipal recreation
Describe how-to strategies to increase disability inclusion in municipal recreation

There are four modules that participants will complete.

Module 1: Disability in Canada
This module includes current definitions of disability, describes the models of disability, and provides an overview of disability statistics in Canada.

Module 2: Disability and Recreation, Physical Activity, and Sport
This module takes you through the benefits, barriers, and facilitators of participation, the participation rates in Canada, and the recommended amounts of physical activity for persons with disabilities.

Module 3: Municipal Recreation and Disability Inclusion
This module describes the role that municipal recreation has in providing inclusive programs and services, the importance of prioritizing the voices of persons with disabilities in the planning and implementation process, and an overview of the accessibility legislation in Canada.

Module 4: Municipal Guide for Disability Inclusion in Recreation and Physical Activity
This module guides you through the eight areas of practice and dozens of how-to strategies and tips in the Municipal Guide that was released on December 3, 2025.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will gain a certification of completion and be able to print a PDF for their records.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Municipal Guide for Disability Inclusion in Recreation and Physical Activity?

The Municipal Guide was developed for municipal recreation staff at all levels and is made up of eight key areas that include dozens of promising and best practices that can be implemented based on the capacity, size and resources of a municipality in Canada to make recreation and physical activity more inclusive to persons with disabilities. These areas of practice include: programming, built environment, workplace culture, communication, staff training, partnerships, evaluation, and persuading decision makers.

How was the Municipal Guide for Disability Inclusion in Recreation and Physical Activity created?

The Municipal Guide for Disability Inclusion in Recreation and Physical Activity (Municipal Guide) was developed through an extensive research process via focus groups, literature reviews, adaptation of existing resources, and surveys. More importantly, the project was guided by listening to persons with disabilities, their caregivers, and municipal staff from all over Canada. It provides a genuine look at how well municipal recreation departments include persons with disabilities. We appreciate the time, personal experiences, and expertise that many people shared to help make this resource.

In addition, a group called the Consensus Panel was formed, which included community representatives, municipal staff, researchers, and persons with disabilities. This group met in person in Ottawa from September 24 to 25, 2024, and online numerous times in 2024 and 2025 to review the information collected and the various draft versions of the Municipal Guide. Between these meetings, the group was surveyed several times to gather more opinions and feedback on the Municipal Guide’s purpose, evidence, and drafts. We appreciate the extensive time and expertise that the Consensus Panel members contributed to this project. Please find the names of the individuals who were on the Consensus Panel here.

Why was the Municipal Guide created?

Persons with disabilities want to enjoy recreational activities with their friends and family, or in places close to home, yet there are many barriers that they experience to participate. The Municipal Guide was developed because municipal recreation departments in Canada have a mandate to provide recreation opportunities for all people.

As such, this Municipal Guide outlines the first set of promising and best practices to include persons with disabilities since the Municipal Government Policy Guidelines (no longer in print) were published in 1991 by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association with the assistance of Dr. Renée Lyons. The Municipal Guide provides hundreds of practical how-to strategies that municipal recreation departments and their staff can implement to make more impactful change in how persons with disabilities are included in physical activity, recreation, and sport in their communities.

Do you have a glossary of terms?

Yes! We provide a glossary of terms used throughout this course, found on our website here.

Download the Municipal Guide here.