Maggie La

Patrick Mckenna
Joey (Jose) Recinto
Rec 341 Designing an Evaluation
1. The VIP mission area we are doing is promoting health and wellness with people who have
developmental disorders. The program we are evaluating is Ability First.
Ability First is a program that provides services for people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities. Some of these programs include health and wellness programs.
Ability First Mission Statement
At AbilityFirst, our vision is of a society that values each individual and provides the
opportunity for all people to lead full and productive lives. For more than 89 years, we have been
looking beyond disabilities, focusing on capabilities, and expanding possibilities. AbilityFirst
provides a broad spectrum of services for individuals with developmental and physical
disabilities, including life skills development, social and recreational activities, job training and
employment, camp and housing. Retrieved from
http://www.abilityfirst.org/about/about_mission.aspx

2. Ability First will use the evaluation to see whether or not the health and wellness programs at
Ability First are having a positive impact on participants lives and creating a change in behavior
in their lives. The criteria for our evaluation would be whether or not our program is teaching
healthy behaviors that are used away from the program.

3. We would ask all the participants of the program to take the evaluation at the end of each two-
month program cycle because our program is small (around 20 people) so our sample could be
all the participants. This timing would produce the best results because they can think back on
their experience throughout the program and they can form an opinion on the program as a
whole, rather than in sections.

4. Literature Review
Promoting health and wellness is an important aspect of life that everyone should have an
opportunity to experience, even people with intellectual, developmental, and/or physical
disabilities. A way we could get people with intellectual, developmental and/or physical
disabilities to participate more in activities would be to do simple activities that everyone can do.
If people with disabilities are actually participating and learning in Ability Firsts health and
wellness program then it would mean our program has an positive effect on our participants
lives. Recreational activities are an important way recreational therapists or people working in
the recreation field could use to increase participation in their programs.
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities tend to be in worse shape and tend
to have poor health. According to Wilhite, Biren, and Spencer, people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities have poor health, are more susceptible to illnesses, have limited
access to health care, and be excluded from health promotion opportunities (2014). The article
then goes on to talk about how physical activity is actually beneficial to people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities because their overall health begins to improve after starting
physical activities. This article relates to our topic because it talks about the benefits of health
through physical activities that can include recreational activities too. The article also compares
how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities do recreational activities related to
physical fitness are healthier than those who do not participate in such health programs.
According to Michael Fox, it can be very difficult for people with disabilities to be at a
healthy weight. Obesity rates for adults and children are usually higher than those without a
disability (Fox, 2014). However, there are different reasons for these obesity rates. Usually,
people with disabilities live in very restrictive environments and as a result there is a lack of
healthy food options. Another factor is that some people with disabilities tend to have a very
hard time when they are either chewing or swallowing their food. If they take any type of
medication that definitely has a big impact on their appetite. Also, some people with disabilities
can have physical limitations that can reduce their ability to exercise. The factors that usually
hold these people back are constant pain, energy imbalance, and lack of accessible environments.
These are the reasons why it can be very difficult for with disabilities to exercise in order for
them to be at a healthy weight. This relates to our criteria because it could be a possible reason
why participants might not be participating in our program.
Today, a major health priority is focused on people with disabilities (Rimmer, 2008).
People with disabilities have less healthy days and lower rates of promoting healthy behaviors,
than people that do not have a disability. Examples of these this type of behavior are physical
inactivity and poor nutritional intake. One major priority in health promotion is to prevent a
situation where a secondary condition can occur. Secondary conditions are concerns that are not
an immediate result of the primary disability but happens at a later point in life where some
people can have a lifestyle change and major factors such as weight gain, pain, pressure sores,
fatigue, and depression can suddenly occur. However, it is very important for health
professionals to recognize that substantial health does exist rather you have a disability or not. As
a result, this requires a lot of attention to establish a disability friendly environment. As a result,
this can reduce architectural, programmatic, and attitudinal barriers. Finally, to help people with
disabilities self-manage their health, this requires the full support of community service
providers in promoting greater access to all health promotion venues, programs, and services.
The more help and motivation people with disabilities have the more we can create a better
future and decrease the obesity rates. This relates to our topic because this article talks about the
disadvantages of not being healthy and how different recreational activities can help certain
individuals become healthier.
Patient education is a central component of physical therapy practice (Pignataro,2015).
The MI(Motivational Interviewing) is an approach recommend if not required for Physical
therapists and Physical therapy assistants to implement in their practice of working with their
patients. The MI approach brings a way for patients to understand their own behavioral risks by
being taught motivational practices to improve their own self management. This approach is
based on the principle of the 5 As: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange. Going through the
the 5 As in MI, the therapist and patient are able to collaboratively agreed-upon goals in which
they have come up with from their interactions. I chose this article as it provides an example of
therapists involvement with their patients. The more they can provide an active role between
their patient, there is a likely chance they will positively participate in improving their health and
wellness.
The process of health and wellness are not fixed for childhood disability services. There
was research done on four Australian childhood and disability services and resulted in findings of
obstruction in how these services were to provide health and wellness. When asked, the four
services all had distinct definitions to what health and wellness meant to them even though their
history of training were all identical from each other. Without a clear statement on how health
and wellness is defined the programs they provide will not necessarily benefit these children. A
universally shared view of wellness can address the issue and implement a better outcome
towards independence in their lives. Relating to the criteria, this article leads to the whether or
not the programs provide a positive impact which can result in more or less active participation.
There are many benefits of recreational therapy for people with disabilities. By providing
programs that requires participants to participate and learn new health and wellness tips, our
participants can live healthier lives. Simple ways to increase participation and learning through
our program is providing services which is accessible and fun for everyone to be involved in. We
could give participants a positive reinforcement, so that they would be more inclined to learn and
participate more often during the program. Thus, leading the improvement of health and wellness
for our participants after completing our program.
*Works cited on last page of project

5. We will not use a cover letter because we will verbally tell our participants what our survey is
going to evaluate and that it is confidential. We feel like cover letters are more for evaluations
that as random people to fill out a survey. The people we are evaluating are our participants, so
they are not random people.

6. Official looking survey is attached before works cited page.

7. Survey Code/Explanation for Questions:

Survey code is highlighted and placed in parenthesis. Explanation for each question is underlined
underneath each question.
1. What is your age range?
- 18-25 (1)
- 25-30 (2)
- 30-37 (3)
- 37+ (4)
Asking participants age would help determine the age population Ability First works with. For
example, people in the range of 18-25 are more likely to be students. It helps determine the age
demographics Ability First attracts the most.
2. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being did not like at all and 5 being like a lot, did you
like the activities we did during the program?
- 1 (1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 5 (5)
We asked this to see if they like the health and wellness program. If they liked it that would mean
they probably learned something valuable during the program. A scale of 1-5 provides an easy to
follow measurement and it is an easy question for participants to answer.
3. On a scale from 1-5,1 being least beneficial and 5 being most beneficial,
how beneficial was our programs to your life?
- 1 (1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 4 (4) 5 (5)
We used this to ensure that participants are getting what they expected. Having a scale like this
one leaves an objective view of these programs. We can get a better understanding if Ability First
is providing a difference in these peoples lives as an outcome. The question uses positive
affirmation of the program by mentioning beneficial so participants can leave on positive note.
4. Before joining our program what did you want to improve on?
- Healthy eating habits (1)
- Exercise Routines (2)
- Stretching more (3)
- Team Building (4)
We get an idea about their expectations on meeting their goals. Its an arrangement of healthy
habits that is easy to understand. We want to see what aspect would be prioritized among the
participants. These healthy habits are relatable to a life involving wellness.
5. After completing the program, which class would you like to learn more
about?
- Healthy eating (1)
- Exercise Routines (2)
- Stretches (3)
- Team Building (4)
We asked this question to see what participants wanted to learn more about in terms of health and
wellness. If we knew what participants wanted to learn more about, we could create better and
more interesting health and wellness programs for participants.
6. Which activity are you more likely to do outside of class since joining the
program?
- Pick a healthy meal (1)
- Go outside and exercise (2)
- Play organized sports (3)
- None of the above (4)
We asked this question because if our program were to promote health and wellness then
participants would pick one of the answers rather than none of the above. This would mean that
our participants are learning from the classes that are offered. We structured this question this
way because the first three categories are classes we offer and if they did not enjoy any of the
classes, then they would choose none of the above.
7. Out of the four classes, which class are you more likely to take again?
- Healthy eating habits (1)
- Fun exercises for all (2)
- Stretch and relaxing (3)
- Organized sports (4)
This question can help us determine which of our classes that we offer is most beneficial and
most popular in our program. Depending on the answer, we could add additional classes to the
most popular classes, therefore allowing more people to join and promoting health and wellness
to even more people.
8. What did you apply to your life after completing our program?
- Healthy eating habits (1)
- Exercise Routines (2)
- Stretches (3)
- Team building (4)
We get an overall picture of their most rewarding experience at Ability First. This arrangement is
concise with what the programs have to offer. As a result, we can see which aspect in the
programs are doing well and what needs improvement. They can reflect on their experience at
the program in a positive manner.
9. How did you feel after completing the program?
- Healthier than before you started the program (1)
- The same level of health before you started the program (2)
- Less healthy since you started the program (3)
We asked this question because we wanted to see if participants felt any change in their lifestyles
after completing the program. If they did feel healthier after, then that would mean our program
is working, if they stayed the same or felt less healthy, then we would need to change our
program. If most participants feel healthier then our program is promoting health and wellness.
10. After completing the program are you more likely going to be:
- Eat healthier (1)
- Do more exercises (2)
- Stretch more (3)
- Do more physical activities with others (4)
- None of the above (5)
We asked this question to see if participants actually learned things that they will carry into their
lives even after the program has ended. If participants felt like they learned new things that they
will use later in life, then that means our program is promoting health and wellness.

8. A thorough analysis will be taken from the data collected after two-month program cycle. This
data will be collected and measured in two forms of frequency tables measuring different forms
of activities. One set of data will be based on what they learned most about the program. The
other data will be based on which of these activities they take part in when outside Ability First.
A comparison will determine if there was a change in participants habits and the effects of the
program.
10. Based on the evaluation, we are able to analyze which programs was most effect among the
participants. Also the results will give an overview of which parts of the programs need
improvements or change. As for this situation the participants of the program had almost similar
data set comparing activities they learned most to what activities they take interest in doing
outside the program. We can see that there have been slight improvements in activities such as
healthy eating habits and exercise routines. On the other hand, activities such as stretching and
team building had a slight decrease when it came to doing these outside the program. What we
can conclude is to review and possibly alter some aspects of team building and stretching so
participants can apply this more in their daily lives. As for the programming for eating healthy
and exercise routines, these would likely to be kept the same.

11. Everyone contributed to the project equally.