Best Accessible Places Archives - Page 4 of 4

Posted June 10th, 2024

Who’s ready to hit the beaches? Exciting reports about accessibility are coming from the southernmost reach of our beautiful state!

Cape May County in New Jersey has announced the unveiling of more than a mile stretch of beach now accessible for individuals with mobility concerns.

This is all made possible by the installation of a beach mat. This mat system provides a flat, stabilized surface atop the soft sand, making it easier for assistive mobility devices like wheelchairs, scooters, crutches, canes, or walkers. Accessibility features like these beach mats allow friends and families to have shared experiences in nature and outdoor recreation, which will only create a healthier lifestyle for all in the community.

If you are in Cape May, NJ, check out the Cape May Promenade which leads to Cove Beach, past Convention Hall. Here, you will find the beach entrance with an accessible beach mat! It is truly amazing to see local communities take on this humbling, well-needed, and deserved initiative for inclusion and accessibility. We hope this news spreads and inspires others to follow suit within their public spaces.

CBS Philadelphia Covers Cape May Beach Mat Installation

Similarly, Access Nature supported the New Jersey State Park Service (NJSPS) last summer at the Atsion Lake Recreation Area in Shamong, NJ. After facilitated discussion and resources that Access Nature provided to the NJSPS, the recreation area acquired beach mats that allow visitors with mobility concerns down to the water’s edge. To further enhance accessibility and inclusion, Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the Access Nature initiative donated two beach wheelchairs to the site so individuals who need assistance can borrow the equipment while they visit.

You can learn more about Atsion Lake Recreation Area and check out the ADA-accessible beach mat here!

Learn more about ongoing projects for the “Pinelands is for Everyone” and statewide “Nature: Accessible for All” initiatives by visiting The Pinelands is for Everyone webpage. If you are interested in learning how to apply similar outdoor accessibility projects to spaces near you, please get in touch with me at sean@pinelnadsalliance.org

Hi to all in the Access Nature pack! I have exciting news for inclusive and accessible summer recreation. In 2023, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) and Green Acres have focused on numerous projects to advance inclusive and accessible outdoor recreation opportunities.

These improvements include more inclusive playgrounds. In 2018, Governor Murphy signed a bill called “Jake’s Law”. This bill now incentivizes counties, municipalities, and state agencies to build inclusive playgrounds for children and adults with disabilities. The passing of this bill is a progressive leap forward and provides the chance to ensure countless New Jersey children, of every ability, have a place to learn, play, and interact with their peers.

The NJ State Park Service recently installed roughly 20 new playgrounds statewide, many of them in southern New Jersey. One of these sites is the very popular Atsion Recreation Area on Route 206 in Shamong, NJ.

An ADA Accessible Hard Surface Playground At Atsion Recreation Area.

There will be a ribbon cutting at the Atsion Recreation Area on June 22, 2023 to celebrate this state-wide accomplishment. The event will kick off at 11 am. There are two new playgrounds at Atsion, one of which is a “hard surface” inclusive playground. Atsion had other improvements completed to the site’s sidewalks and ramps to improve accessibility to the recreational area and playground. Other inclusive and accessible features at Atsion include two ADA nature and interpretive trails totaling a mile and a half. In addition, Atsion will be adding “beach mats” to improve access for individuals with mobility concerns using assistive mobility devices on the sandy beach to get to the lake’s waterfront.

Beach mat allows easie access for those with mobility concerns.

Atsion will be adding “beach mats” to improve access for individuals with mobility concerns using assistive mobility devices on the sandy beach to get to the lake’s waterfront.
With these improvements, the state is paving the way toward a new and improved sense of inclusion and accessibility to the disabled community. Now, those seeking opportunities for outdoor recreation and shared experiences with friends and family will have the chance to have fun in the sun together.

I am hopeful that those interested in this event will be able to join us as we celebrate these accomplishments and our shared commitment to providing access to nature and public facilities in the Pinelands and New Jersey as a whole.

Beach mats improve accessibility to beaches in Cape May. Credit: Office of Governor Murphy

Who’s ready to hit the beaches? Exciting reports about accessibility are coming from the southernmost reach of our beautiful state!

Cape May County has announced the unveiling of more than a mile stretch of beach now accessible for individuals with mobility concerns.

This is all made possible by the installation of a beach mat. This mat system provides a flat, stabilized surface atop the soft sand, making it easier for assistive mobility devices like wheelchairs, scooters, crutches, canes, or walkers. Accessibility features like these beach mats allow friends and families to have shared experiences in nature and outdoor recreation, which will only create a healthier lifestyle for all in the community.

Check out the Cape May Promenade which leads to Cove Beach, past Convention Hall. Here, you will find the beach entrance with an accessible beach mat! It is truly amazing to see local communities take on this humbling, well-needed, and deserved initiative for inclusion and accessibility. We hope this news spreads and inspires others to follow suit within their public spaces.

Similarly, Access Nature supported the New Jersey State Park Service (NJSPS) last summer at the Atsion Lake Recreation Area in Shamong, NJ. After facilitated discussion and resources that Access Nature provided to the NJSPS, the recreation area acquired beach mats that allow visitors with mobility concerns down to the water’s edge. To further enhance accessibility and inclusion, Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the Access Nature initiative donated two beach wheelchairs to the site so individuals who need assistance can borrow the equipment while they visit.

You can learn more about Atsion Lake Recreation Area and check out the ADA-accessible beach mat here!

Learn more about ongoing projects for the “Pinelands is for Everyone” and statewide “Nature: Accessible for All” initiatives by visiting The Pinelands is for Everyone webpage. If you are interested in learning how to apply similar outdoor accessibility projects to spaces near you, use our contact form to connect with us.

Kingsway group listening to Pinelands Adventures staff during a program at Atsion recreation area.

Greetings to all the Access Nature allies! I am sure you can feel Spring is upon us! Birds are chirping, the flora is blooming, honeybees are busy buzzing around collecting their nectar, and we are all eager for outdoor adventures. With the new rugged adaptive mobility equipment that Pinelands Adventures is attaining, we will soon be providing educational eco programs to more of New Jersey’s population.

I am happy to announce that this April, Pinelands Adventures concluded three trial adaptive eco-tour programs in partnership with Kingsway Learning Center. For these programs, our Pinelands Adventures staff took five to six clients from Kingsway and their companions/caregivers on the ADA-nature trails at Atsion Recreation Area and Batsto Historic Village. At these sites, the ADA-nature trails are labeled as the Red/Blue Trail and Red Trail respectively. Both sites are in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County. These locations have accessible marked trails, parking, and restroom facilities. The trails are wide enough and have stabilized surfaces using compacted crushed stone to permit mobility devices such as strollers, wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers to have access.

Kingsway group enjoying the Sun during the Nature Rx program.

The first program presented was the Pinelands 101 course. The group met at Atsion Recreation Area. This program is an introduction to the New Jersey Pinelands. The participants learned about the uniqueness of Pineland’s fauna and flora and discussed its unique ecology.

The second program was held at Historic Batsto Village, and combined Pinelands 101 and Industries in the Pines. The group learned about the area’s natural resources and their importance to establishing early European settlements and prosperous local industries like those found at historic Batsto Village.

The third trial program was held at the Atsion Recreation area. This was a Nature Rx program. The group immersed themselves in the forest’s sights, sounds, and smells. This is a euphoric program designed to rekindle our relationship with nature.

We were blessed with fantastic weather on all three occasions, which both staff and guests greatly enjoyed. In addition, all three groups had a delightful time accessing nature-based recreation and educational programs in places they may not have been able to get to before without the guidance of Pinelands Adventure staff. Pinelands Adventures has been able to provide adaptive mobility equipment to make these programs more accessible.

Group photo of Kingsway Learning Center – Atsion Recreation Area

These three programs helped us assess how to best use the assistive mobility equipment we acquired. Individuals had the opportunity to test out each mobility device and provide feedback. The participants were asked to fill out surveys on the different pieces of equipment, indicating likes and dislikes, and then discuss these suggestions with the Pinelands Adventures team.

We have determined that our adaptive equipment has great flexibility for the terrain. In addition, this equipment satisfies a diverse set of individuals with differing mobility abilities. Our electric chair accommodates individuals with very low mobility while people with greater mobility and upper body strength can use our Grit Freedom chair. This equipment can also be steered by a companion/caregiver.

Moreover, from these trials, Pinelands Adventures has determined and developed plans for safety features to incorporate with the equipment, like safety instructions and contingency plans for staff and participants in the programs.

For me, these developments are truly exciting. This is a great opportunity to connect with and provide remarkable educational and recreational programs to an underserved portion of our community. It makes it possible for the entire family to enjoy the shared mental, physical and educational benefits of nature. This is an extraordinary project to be a part of and I am grateful to be a part of it.

Pinelands Adventures plans on offering programs using this equipment later this season and they hope to acquire additional mobility chairs. Programs will be able to accommodate groups of 5 or 6 individuals in need of mobility assistive chairs along with their companions to help assist them.

Keep a look out for my blog posts as well as the Pinelands Adventures website for when these programs may be available.

For those interested in researching more about these products I have provided the websites below:

Grit – The All-Terrain Wheelchair

Eagle HD Lightweight Foldable Wheelchair

If you have questions or would like to get connected with the Access Nature initiative, please contact us.

Nature is for everyone who seeks to enjoy its splendor – that is our motto. Spending time outside offers many physical and mental health benefits. These benefits include stress reduction, social bonding, and exercise. However, knowing how and what to plan for and finding places to enjoy outdoor recreation can seem daunting. There are countless variables to be considered when planning an outdoor adventure, especially when you have mobility or sensory concerns, deafness, or blindness.

There are many variables when planning an outdoor adventure, especially when you have mobility or sensory concerns, deafness, or blindness.

At the end of last year, The Nature Conservancy came to Pinelands Alliance (The Alliance) and the Access Nature initiative about an opportunity to collaborate on educational and tutorial films they have entitled Nature 101: Be An Insider, Outside!

These videos are geared towards novice outdoor enthusiasts and were created to inform those who may not have experienced outdoor adventures but are interested in doing so, with the proper knowledge and resources to make it a pleasant experience. The video that I helped with deals with accessibility considerations for folks with disabilities. Its premise is to promote the fact that the outdoors are for everyone. We want to build up this concept so that it becomes ingrained in our society’s way of thinking. This new way of thinking will encourage land managers, public officials, and the general public to consider ways to make their sites, amenities, and activities more inclusive for all.

We hope you will watch and learn about the valuable resources and considerations needed for you to enjoy your outdoor adventures. By going to The Alliance’s YouTube Channel you can access these videos. You can also visit The Nature Conservancy Hiking 101 webpage.