Category: Disability Advocate Stories

Check out this podcast from 2023. In this episode, Sean explains what he is doing to expand access to natural areas for people of all ability levels and how you can get involved.

Sean is the Access Nature Disability Advocate for Pinelands Alliance. He is focused on preserving, restoring, and interpreting natural and historic resources for current and future generations and ensuring everyone in our diverse collective community has a chance to enjoy the magnificence of New Jersey’s great outdoors.

Podcast Links:

Nature Disability Advocacy With Sean Kane-Holland

Nature Disability Advocacy Wit… – The Pine Barrens Podcast – Apple Podcasts

The United Spinal Association’s Advocacy Department has several popular working groups which provide opportunities for members to organize around the issues that matter most to them. Find out more about each group on their website – Advocacy Working Groups – United Spinal Association and complete the form to join any or all groups.

In this video Access Nature Disability Advocate Sean Holland takes the GRIT for a spin on the beach to test what the capabilities of our new mobility assistive equipment is, for our inclusive nature programs.

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.