Successful inclusion of people with disabilities starts with a commitment from the top, quality customer service on the frontline, and a thorough understanding of the standards, regulations and emerging best practices.
-Jennifer Skulski, Principal
Skulski Consulting LLC serves federal, state, local and private entities focused on making their services accessible to people with disabilities. Principal Jennifer Skulski has more than 30-years professional experience as a consultant, instructor, and researcher advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities in parks, recreation and tourism. She has diverse expertise in the ADA accessibility standards specific to recreation facilities and outdoor recreation environments, program access provisions required under Title II of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, accessibility assessments, transition planning, and universal design.
Jennifer started her career at the Rockford (Illinois) Park District as the ADA Coordinator shortly after the federal legislation was passed. There she completed one of the first model Title II Self-Evaluations and oversaw the district’s Transition Plan implementation. In 1995, Jennifer joined the National Center on Accessibility at Indiana University and quickly emerged to be one of the premiere national experts on inclusion of people with disabilities in parks, recreation and tourism. From 1998 to 2000, Jennifer served as the Associate Director at the Great Lakes ADA Center, one of the 10 regional centers federally funded and designated to give technical assistance on the regulations and standards of the ADA. During her tenure at the Great Lakes ADA Center, Jennifer established the ADA Audio Conference program, a monthly educational session featuring the most relevant ADA topics of the day presented by national leaders in the field. This national distance learning program is now celebrating its 20th season of programming by the ADA National Network.
Through both the Great Lakes ADA Center and the National Center on Accessibility, Jennifer has served as an instructor and curriculum designer, presenting training to thousands of professionals over the last 30 years. Students consistently report her as a “very knowledgeable” instructor with more than 95% stating the information she presents will be immediately used in their professional work. Among a national audience, Jennifer is evaluated as one of the highest rated instructors at conferences such as the National ADA Symposium and National Recreation and Park Association Congress. She has authored numerous articles and developed hands-on training courses, distance learning programs through satellite broadcasts, asynchronous learning modules and webinars.
In addition to her training and technical assistance experience, Jennifer has led accessibility assessment teams for more than 1,500 municipal recreation facilities and 60 national parks. She has consulted with organizations such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grand Canyon National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Hoover Dam, Rocky Mountain National Park, Buffalo Grove (Illinois) Park District and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Access to Recreation initiative. She has trained professionals on accessibility issues, assisted municipalities with prioritizing accessibility improvements, and facilitated public input on barrier removal.
Jennifer works very closely with staff of the U.S. Access Board and the Disability Rights Section at the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2008-2013 Jennifer served as the principle investigator on the accessibility of playground surfaces, a longitudinal study funded by the U.S. Access Board. This research serves as the most comprehensive study of accessible surfaces to date. Most recently, Jennifer authored 7 Things Every Playground Owner Should Know About the Accessibility of Their Playground Surfaces, a technical guide published by the Access Board.
In 2014, Jennifer formed her own firm, Skulski Consulting LLC, serving federal, state, local and private entities focused on making their services accessible to people with disabilities. Skulski Consulting LLC provides training on the ADA, program access, the accessibility standards and universal design as a best practice of customer service. In addition, the firm conducts accessibility assessments, evaluations of polices/practices/procedures and facilitated transition planning for organizations. Skulski Consulting is a WBE and a registered Limited Liability Corporation in Indiana.
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Portfolio
Examples of accessibility assessment, self-evaluations and transition planning projects include:
City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Comprehensive review of policies, practices and procedures as required under for the city’s Title II ADA Self-Evaluation. 2015.
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. Facilitated transition planning and consultation on the development of an ADA Action Plan to implement organizational procedural modifications to achieve ADA compliance. 2015-2016.
Northbrook (IL) Park District. Accessibility assessment including a total of 14 parks and recreation facilities that had undergone substantial construction since the first the original ADA Transition Plan was developed. 2017.
Cleveland Metroparks. Comprehensive training on program access and the application of the ADA standards to park and recreation facilities. Trained park planners on the accessibility assessment process. Facilitated transition planning. 2016.
Commerce City, Colorado. Accessibility assessment of the 21 major parks, 7 trailheads, recreation center, golf course, and outdoor swimming pool operated by Commerce City Parks, Recreation and Golf. 2016-2017.
City of Mobile (AL) Parks and Recreation. Accessibility assessment of 92 parks and recreation facilities. Comprehensive review of policies, practices and procedures for ADA compliance. 2017-2018.
Great Parks of Hamilton County (OH). Accessibility assessment of the 21 regional county parks serving the greater Cincinnati area. Comprehensive review of policies, practices and procedures for ADA compliance. 2015-2016.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, Colorado. Consultation on program access and physical access improvements, program assessment and Section 504 Self-Evaluation. 2013-2014.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Consultation on program access and physical access improvements, program assessment and Section 504 Self-Evaluation. 2013.
Hoover Dam, Henderson, Nevada. Project member for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2012.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, Hodgenville, Kentucky. Project leader for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2011.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois. Project leader for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2011.
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, Dayton, Ohio. Project member for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2011.
San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, San Antonio, Texas. Project member for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2011.
William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Cincinnati, Ohio. Project member for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2011.
Picture Rocks National Lake Shore, Munising, Michigan. Consultation on program access and physical access improvements for 40 miles of shoreline along Lake Superior. 2011.
Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim, Arizona. Project leader for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities along the North Rim. 2009.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Project leader for five phases of accessibility assessments including Alcatraz, Crissy Field, Muir Wood National Monument and the Nike Missile Historic Site. 2007-2010.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter, Indiana. Project leader for comprehensive accessibility assessment of programs and supporting facilities. 2011.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Access to Recreation grant program. Technical review for accessibility and universal design of funded projects in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. 2007-2008.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Annex, New York. Consultation on program access, exhibit design and plan review. August 2008.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, Ohio. Consultation on program access and exhibits. December 2007.
Buffalo Grove (Illinois) Park District. Physical and programmatic accessibility assessment. August 2007.
Itasca (Illinois) Park District. Physical and programmatic accessibility assessment. December 2005.
Professional Certification and Activities
Certified Playground Safety Inspector. Since 2002. Certified by the National Playground Safety Institute – National Recreation and Park Association.
F.08 Playground Surfaces Committee. 2004 to Present. American Society for Testing and Materials.
Research
Longitudinal Study of Playground Surfaces to Evaluate Accessibility. Principle Investigator. August 2013.
Best Practices of Accessibility in Parks and Recreation: A Delphi Survey of National Experts in Accessibility. Study conducted by the National Center on Accessibility. May 2008.
Survey of Ticket and Accommodation Policies for Performance Venues, Theaters and Sports Arenas. Funded by the National Center on Accessibility, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Indiana Institute on Community and Disability. July 2002.
Recent Presentations
Skulski, J. and B. Botten. The Quest for the Accessible Surface. Concurrent session at the National ADA Symposium. Denver, Colorado. June 2014.
Skulski, J. and P. Greenwell. Accessible Playground Surfaces Webinar. Accessibilityonline.org webinar series produced by the ADA National Network and the U.S. Access Board. November 7, 2013.
Skulski, J. and Huber, R. Getting Your Money Out of Your Playground Surface. . Concurrent session at the National Recreation and Park Congress. Houston, Texas. October 8, 2013.
Wodatch, J; Murdock, C; Fraser, C. & Skulski, J. Transition Planning: The Dynamic Process for Parks, Recreation and Tourism Webinar. Arts and Recreation Webinar Series produced in partnership with the ADA National Network, National Center on Accessibility, John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution. July 10, 2013.
Wodatch, J; Bloomer, R. and Skulski, J. Program Access in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Webinar. Arts and Recreation Webinar Series produced in partnership with the ADA National Network, National Center on Accessibility, John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution. May 29, 2013.
Skulski, J. and P. Greenwell. First Year Findings from the NCA Playground Surface Study. Concurrent session at the National Recreation and Park Congress. Anaheim, California. October 17, 2012.
Skulski, J. 5 Things to Know Now About the ADA. First Year Findings from the NCA Playground Surface Study. Concurrent sessions at the Mid-Atlantic ADA Symposium. Baltimore, Maryland. September 14, 2012.
Skulski, J. and P. Greenwell. First Year Findings from the NCA Playground Surface Study. Concurrent session at the National ADA Symposium. Indianapolis, Indiana. May 31, 2012.
Skulski, J. Beach Access. Concurrent session at the National ADA Symposium. Orlando, Florida. March 14, 2012.
Skulski, J. 5 Things to Know Now About the ADA. First Year Findings from the NCA Playground Surface Study. Concurrent sessions at the Great Lakes Park Training Institute. Pokagon State Park, Angola, Indiana. February 28, 2012.
Skulski, J. Are my recreation facilities accessible? Where do I start? Webinar hosted by the ADA National Network. April 2011.
Skulski, J. What every camp director should know about the ADA. Webinar hosted by the American Camp Association. January 26, 2011.
McGovern, J. & Skulski, J. ADA Litigation and Research of Accessible Playground Surfaces. Concurrent educational session at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 2010.
Skulski, J. Accessibility guidelines for play areas; and Universal design in parks and recreation. 1-day workshop presented for the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association, May 2008.
Kutska, K; Huber, R; & Skulski, J. Is your playground surface really safe and accessible? Concurrent educational session at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress, Baltimore, October 14, 2008. Also presented at the National Institute on Recreation and Inclusion, Eugene, Oregon, September 4, 2008.
Skulski, J. “Access and inclusion in outdoor park settings.” Presented at Indiana Park and Recreation Association conference, Indianapolis, January 15, 2008.
Skulski, J. & Bloomer, R. The Principles of Universal Design in Park and Recreation Environments. Introductory session for the NRPA off-site institute held at Bradford Woods, September 25, 2007.
Skulski, J. & Bloomer, R. The Principles of Universal Design in Park and Recreation Environments. Concurrent educational session at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress, Indianapolis, September 28, 2007.
Robb, G. & Skulski, J. Implementation of an Accessibility Management Program for Systems Change. Concurrent educational session at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress, Indianapolis, September 28, 2007.