Category: Disability Advocate Stories

In this short clip, we follow one of our Pinelands Adventures educational staff Monica, who leads a group of students from Kingsway Learning Center on one of our trial inclusive eco-tours at Atsion Recreation Area.

This was a tough test for Sean too, traversing this section of removed cranberry bog road. We were ready to give him assistance, but he was determined to conquer this formidable obstacle under his own power. This was a good 40ft long section of soft sand at about a 20/25 degree slope. Absolutely no way your typical chair could traverse this. We didn’t even attempt to try our power chairs on this, it would have fried the motors.

Hosted by Michael Brower, an expert with Disability Rights New Jersey, this town hall event was for sharing information on the rights of people with disabilities. There is also a presentation by Eric Husta, Atlantic County’s Parks Director, on Estell Manor County Park, an example of a public nature preserve with good accessible options.
The heart of the Town Hall is a listening session and open discussion of challenges that people with disabilities face in getting into nature and sharing of ideas about how to improve access to natural places.
This is the first of three virtual Town Halls that Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Disability Rights New Jersey and Hopeworks are holding to learn how we can improve access to nature for people with disabilities, and form an ongoing coalition of people dedicated to achieving this goal.

In this video members of the Adult Program from Kingsway Learning Center in Moorsetwon, NJ participate in Field Day at Rancocas Creek Farm to learn garden skills and build on community engagement.

The second online town hall focused on improving access to the Pinelands for people with disabilities.
Despite being the most crowded state in the nation, New Jersey has a large amount of open space, including the 1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve. The forests, streams and ponds found here are an important resource for residents in the region.

Unfortunately, access to the vast natural areas found in the New Jersey Pinelands can be difficult if not impossible for people with physical or other disabilities. Visiting natural places can be uncomfortable, unsafe or impossible. Barriers may include a limited number of accessible sites or a lack of comprehensive and reliable information of the accessible sites that do exist.
PPA wants to help overcome these barriers so everyone can enjoy the benefits of time in nature and visit the parks, forests and preserves which our state and communities have protected.

This video features a short interview with Ivette is the founder and CEO of Allies In Caring, Inc., a Hammonton-based nonprofit organization providing mental health counseling and educational services to Latino, deaf and other undeserved populations. As a Mexican-born child of deaf parents, Guillermo-McGahee has a deep understanding of the abilities and strengths in people rather than their deficits or illnesses. Ivette is also on the Board of Trustees at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.