Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Recreation Flashcards

An agency's EDI strategic plan should include which component to ensure accountability?

Answer: Specific measurable goals, progress indicators, timelines, and designated accountability owners for each EDI objective

Without measurable goals and accountability structures, EDI commitments remain aspirational rather than actionable — specific metrics and owners drive actual organizational change.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires park agencies receiving federal funds to:

Answer: Ensure that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability is excluded from or denied benefits of programs solely by reason of disability

Section 504 prohibits disability-based exclusion from federally funded programs and requires reasonable accommodations and accessible program delivery, predating and complementing the ADA.

Which process ensures that park capital investment decisions affirmatively reach communities with the greatest unmet need?

Answer: Using equity mapping data to prioritize capital investments in communities with the lowest park access scores, highest poverty rates, and greatest health disparities

Equity-based capital prioritization uses demographic and health data to direct investment where it will reduce disparities, rather than reinforcing existing inequalities by investing in already well-served areas.

Cultural competence in recreation programming requires staff to:

Answer: Develop awareness of their own cultural assumptions, knowledge of diverse cultural practices, and skills to adapt programs for diverse populations

Cultural competence is a developmental process requiring self-awareness, knowledge acquisition, and practical skill-building to serve diverse communities effectively and respectfully.

A park agency wants to measure progress on workforce diversity. The most meaningful metric beyond demographic headcount is:

Answer: Representation of diverse staff at all organizational levels including leadership, and retention rates over time

Representation at leadership levels and retention rates reveal whether diverse employees are advancing and staying, indicating genuine inclusion rather than surface-level diversity in entry-level roles.

When designing a new park in a historically underinvested community, meaningful community engagement requires:

Answer: Engaging community members from the earliest stages of design using participatory methods that prioritize resident voices and accommodate language and cultural differences

Authentic engagement in underinvested communities requires early involvement, participatory methods that reduce power imbalances, and deliberate outreach to those historically excluded from planning processes.