Providing Services for People with Disabilities

Mission Statement:
Provide quality recreational programs and services for Champaign-Urbana residents with disabilities.

What Is Special Recreation?
Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation (CUSR) was formed through a cooperative agreement with the Champaign and Urbana Park Districts to provide recreation programs and leisure services for residents with disabilities. Inclusion and specialized programs are available. We provide quality recreation programs for people with disabilities by hiring and training qualified staff, providing staff ratios which ensure program safety and success, and adapting programs and equipment to meet the needs of the participants.

For more detailed information about programs, contact us at:

Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation 1311 W. Church St. Champaign, IL 61821 217.239.1152 TTY: 217.239.1157 FAX: 217.373.7951 Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm Join our general or volunteer e-mail announcement list. Click here to find out how.

Staff:

Work with us:

We always need fresh faces to help out with our programs. Please check for available CUSR job opportunities on the following Champaign Park District pages:

• Full-Time
• Part-Time
• Seasonal

Or, if you are interested in volunteering, please contact our Volunteer coordinator listed above.

Advisory Committee:

CUSR Advisory Committee is comprised of area residents. Some committee members represent agencies which serve people with disabilities while other members are program participants or parents of people with disabilities. The Advisory Committee meets quarterly at the CUSR Office, 158 Lincoln Square, Urbana. All interested individuals are encouraged to attend and assist the Advisory Committee with the development of quality programs to meet the needs of members of the community who have disabilities.

Advisory Committee Members

Board Meetings:
CUSR is part of the Champaign and Urbana Park Districts and is ultimately governed by the Board of Commissioners of both districts. CUSR participants, parents and guardians are invited to attend the monthly meeting of both park districts as well as the annual joint meeting held in the fall. For more information about these meetings, call the CUSR Office.

Trips

Holiday Parties

Fishing

Americans With Disabilities Act:
CUSR will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination in the provision of services, programs, or facilities to individuals with disabilities. If you have any questions on ADA or would like information on our inclusion opportunities, please contact the CUSR Manager at 217.239.1152 (voice) or 217.239.1157 (TTY)

Click Here To Download Our Program Guide

Registration:
You may now register for CUSR programs at:

• CUSR Office, Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana
• Phillips Recreation Center at 505 W. Stoughton, Urbana
• Bresnan Meeting Center, 706 Kenwood Rd., Champaign
• Springer Cultural Center, 301 N. Randolph, Champaign
• Douglass Community Center, 512 E. Grove Champaign

Please be sure to use a Special Recreation registration form or Click Here to register online.

CUSR Scholarship Form
The scholarship program is designed to provide families of the CUSR Member Agencies an opportunity to be involved in fun, enjoyable, quality programs that they may not be able to afford without assistance. Click Here to download the application form.

CUSR Annual Information Form (AIF)
The AIF contains extremely important participant information which is necessary for CUSR staff to plan and execute safe and enjoyable programs. Each participant needs to have this form completed about them.  This form will need to be updated about each participant at the beginning of each calendar year.

Satisfaction Guarantee:
CUSR's goal is to provide quality programs to all participants. If you are not satisfied with your program, we want to know. Please call or write the CUSR office at the location listed above.

To request accommodations for non-CUSR programs, follow the guidelines below:
1. Register and pay for the Park District program in which you are interested.
2. Contact the Program Coordinator that oversees the program you or your dependent has registered for and inform them of your special need at least two weeks before the program begins. Inform them about all details of the special assistance required. At this point Park District and CUSR staff will work with the person requesting assistance to make reasonable accommodations.

Links

PACE, Inc.

National Special Recreation Gold Medal Winner
CUSR was awarded the 1996 National Sporting Goods Association and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Gold Medal for Special Recreation Class II (under 200,000 population).

These awards are presented annually to communities throughout the United States for excellence in providing recreation opportunities for people with disabilities. Judging categories include: staff development, diversity of programming, volunteer management, community partnerships, provision of services, and overall management of the department.

The award was presented at the NRPA annual congress closing ceremonies in Kansas City, MO.

CUSR competed against the City of Caper Corral, Florida; the Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County, Mundelein, Illinois; and Loudoun County Department of Parks and Recreation, Leesburg, Virginia. CUSR was a finalist in 1988 and again in 1994.