Gateway promotes the full participation of people with disabilities in meaningful activities that maximize their health, well-being and quality of life. Recreation is a central component of a healthy lifestyle. This philosophy is carried out through all our recreation and sports programs and services for people with disabilities.
What is a Special Recreation Association?
Gateway SRA is a very unique type of agency, a special recreation association (SRA). Illinois is the only state which has legislation that:
• Enables two or more park districts or municipalities to join together to “establish, maintain, and manage recreation programs” for people with disabilities; and grants the park districts and municipalities in such a joint agreement the ability to levy a special tax in order to fund such programs.
An organization is recognized as a special recreation association if: it consists of two or more park districts which have entered into a joint agreement with one another, and/or recreation boards and the corporate authorities of cities, villages, and incorporated towns;
It has a written agreement among the cooperating agencies; residents of member agencies are equally eligible to participate; and it has a board of directors made up of representatives of the member entities to govern the association.
Each special recreation association is unique in that it is responsible to meet the needs of its residents and works under the direction of its own Board of Directors. As a result, the programs offered by each SRA may be very different than those offered by SRAs serving another area with its own unique needs and expectations.