Book

The Pursuit of Leisure: Enriching the Lives of People who have a Disability

Unlike other books on leisure which portray leisure as a discrete ‘segment’ of life and think about this segment in terms of ‘activities’ and ‘programs’ and ‘training’, this book actually talks about what leisure means to people who have a disability and their families – focussing on how leisure experiences can enrich lives and open new doors of meaning and enjoyment, while connecting people more fully to their communities. Throughout this book, leisure is discussed as a feeling, a state of mind, a sense of well being and an important part of community life. A simple philosophy around many of the chapters is that leisure is important because it is fun and fun is linked to freedom, friends, spontaneity and choice, something that doesn’t come from a ‘recreation program’. Other chapters are more academically based – for example, the chapter by Sylvester asks whether leisure choices can really be a reality for people who are poor. Keyword: Social Activities