“It starts like this every year,” said John McGovern, the Accessibility Practice Principal-in-Charge at WT Group AEC. In 2026, WT spoke twice at the Kansas Recreation and Park Association conference in Topeka. Days later, the WT booth was swamped in the exhibit hall at the 4,000+ attendee conference conducted by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. A week later, in early February, McGovern spoke at the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association. To close February, WT spoke at a pre-conference session and saw hundreds in the exhibit hall, all the while fighting off a Nor’easter!
Shelley Zuniga worked in parks and recreation. She is the Senior Project Manager in the WT Group AEC Accessibility Practice. “It makes sense. As we head into late spring and early summer, no one in the field of parks and recreation has time for conferences because they are swamped with turf maintenance, summer camp planning, and staff recruitment.”
In Kansas, McGovern was joined by Accessibility Practice Principal-Operations Tatum Storey. Sessions included critical issues in serving people with disabilities for parks and recreation departments, and a review of the reasonable modification mandate, a popular session that includes court decisions to guide the learning.
In Illinois, Zuniga, Storey, and McGovern, along with WT staff from Aquatics and Civil Engineering, staffed the booth and fielded questions about ADA transition plans, inclusion scenarios, and the City of San Francisco court decision.
Wisconsin saw McGovern discuss reasonable modifications and a rarely won argument of undue burden. Finally, New Jersey saw McGovern and Storey in a five-hour pre-conference session that addressed ADA compliance in programs and policies, as well as parks and recreation infrastructure. This session included Storey’s popular take-off of JEOPARDY!, with all categories and questions influenced by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“We know how few hours are available for parks and recreation staff training,” said McGovern. “We enjoy sharing smart practices about programs, transition plan trends, and discussing which community engagement approach works best for each community,” he added.
In this episode, John shares what first got him into accessibility work, his perspective on the aging population in the U.S., and what that shift means for accessibility and inclusion. Additionally, he offers thoughtful guidance and insight for individuals navigating the decision of whether and how to disclose a disability to peers and in workplace settings.
From state conferences to agency-specific staff training, to the National Recreation and Park Association conference in the fall, WT knows parks and recreation. Can we help your team stay current on ADA obligations, make parks and facilities accessible, make programs and policies inclusive, and serve all of your residents? Reach out to John McGovern at jmcgovern@wtgroupaec.com, and Tatum Storey at tstorey@wtgroupaec.com. Let WT help your agency “Do the right thing.”
