National Center on Accessibility (U.S.)

Indiana University Bloomington is the home of the National Center on Accessibility, a collaborative program of IU and the National Park Service. The nation's premiere resource promoting access for people with disabilities in recreation, the NCA is a program within the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the Department of Recreation and Park Administration.

With the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, research began into the unique obstacles entailed in creating access to the outdoors for the disabled, providing training for those involved in this process, and establishing a center through which these incentives could be achieved affectively.

In response to these needs, the National Center on Accessibility was established in 1992 as a collaborative effort between Indiana University’s Department of Recreation and Park Administration in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the National Park Service. The University brought to the table its experience in working with Bradford Woods, Project Access, and Access Indiana. The NCA’s purpose is to provide the most recent information and technology to professionals involved in improving access to recreational sites, parks, and other tourist sites, thus allowing for the fullest integration of persons with disabilities. To achieve this purpose the Center focuses on developing educational programs, formulating research projects, providing technical support, and building cooperative partnerships. The Center conducts five to six national training programs each year throughout the country. It also publishes videos, as well as a free quarterly newsletter entitled “Access Today.”