Category: Disability Advocate Stories
In this webinar we hear from Peter Dolan, Senior Trail Planner – New York-New Jersey Trail Conference about what makes a trail accessible for the most trail users possible. Topics cover in the webinar include:
About the Trail Conference
• Personal Experience with Accessibility
• Defining “Accessibility”
• Trail Accessibility Legislation
• Connecting Accessibility and Sustainability
• Other Accessible Design Elements
• Call to Action: Don’t Let Perfect be the Enemy of Good
• Resources
Back in 2023 we launched our Pinelands is for Everyone initiative to make natural spaces within the Pinelands region more accessible for individuals with disabilities. This video is one of our very first to be publicized launching this campaign. Since 2024, the campaign has grown to a statewide campaign – Nature Accessible for All.
What does it mean to build disability community and justice in the outdoors? Why is it important to have Disabled leadership, and how can allies and organizations be better partners? Join Syren Nagakyrie, founder of Disabled Hikers, for answers to these questions and more. Syren will provide an overview of disability language, models of disability, and how to think about access vs accessibility. They will share about their work as the founder of an entirely Disabled-led organization working at the intersections of disability justice and outdoor recreation, and how you can create more space for Disabled people to drive your access and inclusion work. Time will be set aside for questions and answers.
Syren Nagakyrie is the founder of Disabled Hikers, a nonprofit organization building disability community and justice in the outdoors. Syren grew up with multiple disabilities and encounters numerous barriers to outdoor recreation but has always found nature to be a place of belonging. As a long-time disabled activist and community builder, Syren is committed to building a movement of Disabled leadership in the outdoors. They are the author of The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Northern California: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and foot (2024) and The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon (2022), both published by FalconGuides. They also work with parks, organizations, brands, and government agencies to improve access and belonging for disability community.
This 2023 article by WHYY focuses on the collaborative work we are undertaking with state parks and other land managers at the federal, local, and non-profit levels to work on solutions that change planning and policy for individuals with disabilities, so there is more inclusion and equity in natural outdoor spaces.
Check out our story from NorthJersey.com highlighting our new website Homepage – Nature: Accessible for All, which offers a searchable directory of outdoor spaces in the Garden State that are inclusive for people with disabilities. The website also houses a directory of organizations that are involved with the campaign and have particular skill sets and resources to make natural spaces more accessible for people with varying abilities. Additionally, there is information for individuals and organizations who are interested in getting involved with the campaign. Check out the website today and plan your outdoor adventures!
It is invigorating, and a pleasure, to be working with partners who are just as passionate and invested in making natural spaces in our beautiful state more accessible for all. The NY/NJ Trail Conference is one such partner we are thrilled to have a relationship with.
Check out the Trail Conference’s Trail Walker – New York-New Jersey Trail Conference summer issue which highlights the importance of this work, what the Conference is accomplishing in way of nature accessibility, and how to get actively involved in their organization and the State initiative Nature Accessible for All.