AIR Time with Sharon Williams

Tucked away in the backrooms of the Greensboro Sportsplex, Sharon Williams sits in her office hard at work.

As the Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation (AIR) Coordinator with the City of Greensboro's Parks and Recreation Department, Williams wears many hats and stays so consistently busy with her work - which includes overseeing her department of two full-time employees (plus countless rosters and volunteers), helping plan and execute programming, and more - that the folks around her have given her a nickname: "The Human Tornado"

"It's in a positive way," Leslie Richardson, an inclusion specialist with the City, said with a laugh. "When we have work that needs to get done, she is so focused and it is such a learning tool for everybody that works around her because she is delegating and having eight projects going on at the same time. She does it with such grace and professionalism- it's incredible to watch."

Williams breaks out laughing at the nickname every time she hears it because she knows it's more than just a moniker - it's also a testament to her tornado-strength love for making parks, and life, more accessible for people with disabilities.

"It's very important to the community because a lot of people don't realize that when working with people with disabilities, simple modifications can be made so that everyone can participate," Williams said. "It's not just about the one person with a disability - it really is making a more inclusive and accessible community for everyone."

FINDING HER CALLING

The concept of making the world a more inclusive place came to Williams at an early age.

Growing up in Kernersville, Williams had a neighbor whose son was both physically and mentally disabled, but she always saw him as just another friend.

"We always made sure that he was included; he was with us in the sandbox, and we would push him around in the chair," Williams said. "I had no idea that it would affect me in that manner - it was just a day-to-day thing for us."

Then, in high school, Williams' softball coach had girls on the team volunteer with the Special Olympics - it was another step into Williams making her way into working with people with disabilities, she said. From there she went to East Carolina University, before transferring to UNC-Greensboro where she found recreational therapy.

After graduating, Williams made her way to the Queen City, where she worked part time within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation's therapeutic recreation department and held a part-time job with the Town of Davidson. The Town of Davidson created a position for Sharon to create inclusive programming. From there, she landed back home with the Kernersville Parks and Recreation Department where she wore a number of hats (many of which had nothing to do with inclusive recreation), before finding her way to Greensboro in 2014.

"I really wanted to get back to my roots in recreational therapy and working with individuals with disabilities," Williams said. "From there, it has been absolutely amazing being able to make a lot of the changes that we've made, increase programming, and really broaden our department and the services we provide."

FINDING A PLACE FOR EVERYONE

For the past 12 years, Williams and her team have been consistently busy turning their division - then called Mainstream Resources - into an outlet that could make Greensboro more inclusive for people of all abilities.

That process has included programming that ranges from small, weekly events, to the popular Camp Joy summer camp and large-scale events like The Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities' annual Shopper's Day - which saw over 1,800 individuals with disabilities, caretakers, and volunteers show up to Four Seasons Town Centre for a holiday extravaganza last December.

As it relates to the latter, Williams said seeing folks come together en masse for Shopper's Day is not just about offering individuals with disabilities an opportunity to exercise some independence - it's about people being able to come together to celebrate with their shared family in what amounts to a family reunion. That same sentiment is also felt in the weekly community outings AIR takes every Tuesday - visiting places around Greensboro and surrounding cities.

"To me that is special because as a group setting, I get to have that time working with participants," Williams said. "We have so much administrative work, so Tuesdays just feel very special me to be able to go on the outings - it really is a good time."

Along with programming, there's also the facilities that the department has helped make a reality - including the "Up in the AIR" all-inclusive playground and the new adaptive mountain biking trail, both located at Keeley Park. When Williams talks about small modifications helping make the community a more inclusive place, these are the changes the AIR team is offering - which in turn helps make her dream a reality.