Story Archives - Nature: Accessible for All

Looking for a way to have your voice heard? Check out some of these NJ Legislative Bills that seek to make the great outdoors more accessible for people with disabilities across the great state of New Jersey!

• H.R. 7751 Parks to People Act establishes federal grants to build and improve significant greenway paths.

You can use this link to learn more about the bill and links to contact your local representatives to support the bill – Congress house-bill/7751

This article about Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act highlights efforts earlier this year to bring a group of advocates to Washington, D.C. to build support for the Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act.

With the bill making progress through both chambers of Congress here is what the Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act Would Do:

The Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act would make accessibility a required part of federal travel planning.

The bill would:

Require federal agencies to prioritize updates to travel management plans and motor vehicle use maps.
Require those agencies to account for the amount of accessible road mileage available across public land.
Direct agencies to work with state, local and tribal governments to identify routes that provide meaningful recreational access.
Require accessibility to be considered when agencies make decisions affecting roads and motorized routes.

Nature Accessible for All community,

There is some good news here from NJ DEP. The state is making the outdoors more accessible to all, with the addition of five new all-terrain wheelchairs at state parks and historic sites across the state.

Funding for the five wheelchairs was made possible through a $24,550 grant awarded by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation through its 2025 Direct Effect Second Cycle Quality of Life Grants program.

Learn more about these great resources – Here

The NJSOC is a proud partner of Nature Accessible for All, (NAFA). NAFA ‘s mission is to make outdoor spaces accessible for differently abled people. The NJSOC serves on the steering Committee of the campaign, and works with individuals and organizations in the disabled community to improve trails, create spaces and make outdoor centers more welcoming and accessible for all people.

One element of the campaign was a stipend program, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that provided funds to several projects across the state which were used to improve trail access, beach access, create sensory trails or provide equipment. The NJSOC received a stipend from the campaign that has allowed them to resurface our interior campus pathways and entrances, making them more accessible to wheelchairs and people with other mobility challenges. They also created a ramp on the Wapalanne side of the lake, making the loop around Lake Wapalanne accessible by wheelchair for the first time in 90 years.

There is much work yet to be done to fully transform the campus so that NJSOC is true to the mission of making the NJSOC welcoming to all people. With the help of their new Accessibility Ambassador, Amelia Basile and by continuing our participation in NAFA, they are committed to making this happen.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped bring the Soiree to life and to everyone who joined us. It was a wonderful evening of community, connection, and a shared commitment to making New Jersey’s natural spaces more accessible for people with disabilities.

This evening would not have been possible without our sponsors whose generosity is supporting our work:

? Duke Farms
? Children’s Specialized Hospital
? Joan Rechnitz
? Planned Retirement Consultants & Administrators Inc.
? Inspira Health
? Kessler Foundation
? EAB Risk Management
? OceanFirst Foundation
? Charlie Chapin
? Merrill G. & Emita E. Hastings Foundation
? New Jersey Conservation Foundation
? Partners for Health Foundation
? Suydam Corkery Family Charitable Fund

Thank you again for your support, enthusiasm, and commitment. We are building a movement of people and organizations committed to making parks and natural areas accessible for people with disabilities and mobility challenges.

This movement is open to everyone with an interest in making natural places accessible and inclusive, so if you’re interested in getting involved, please reach out!

Visit the Nature: Accessible for All website to learn about the campaign and how to get involved

Screenshot

The newly launched New Jersey Rural Health Transformation website (https://nj.gov/rural-health-transformation/) provides a central resource for communities, health care providers, partners, and others interested in the program.

Visitors can:
• Define rural — Learn what qualifies as rural in New Jersey and who is eligible for the program.
• Explore NJRHTP initiatives — Learn more about the investments and activities supporting rural health transformation.
• Check program status — Follow the program’s progress as it moves through its five-year funding period.
• Find answers — Explore frequently asked questions about the program.
• Connect with the team — Find contact information and ways to get in touch.
The website also provides an at-a-glance look at the scale of the Rural Health Transformation