Host: Isaac

Choice changes everything, especially when the goal is real community inclusion rather than a one size fits all schedule. We sit down with Amber Lockwood, Program Coordinator at Extend-A-Family Kingston, to talk about how a nonprofit charity can build recreation programs that actually feel like belonging for children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities. From the first hello, Amber makes it clear that safety and fun matter, but voice matters just as much.

We walk through what Extend-A-Family Kingston offers across the year: adult day programming Monday to Friday, Saturday community outings, after-school programs, weekend Super Saturday programming, and coverage on PA days, exam breaks, March break, and the Christmas holidays. Summer brings its own energy with beach days, water games, arts and crafts, music, festivals, and an interagency baseball league that ends with a championship tournament.

Then we get practical about inclusive programming. Amber shares how staff adapt activities for different needs, why running multiple options at once can unlock participation, and how the Participant Action Council puts participants in the driver’s seat on activities, equipment, and even space design. We also talk about the hydroponic garden program that grows produce and donates it to Martha’s Table, plus the everyday reality of coordinating when plans change fast.

If you care about disability inclusion, accessible recreation, or stronger community programs in Kingston, Ontario, you’ll leave with concrete ideas and a lot of hope. Subscribe for more stories, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the program idea you’d love to see next.

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Music for this podcast provided by:
Paul Yudin
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