In a time when every issue feels polarized, one area where consensus can still be found is the belief that the outdoors should be accessible to all. This includes ensuring that people with disabilities, a group often overlooked, have full access to nature.
Last week, the Brumidi Group worked with REI Co-op and MoveUnited to host an accessibility roundtable. This event brought together agency officials, congressional staff, NGOs, and companies dedicated to expanding outdoor access for individuals with disabilities. The goal was to foster dialogue, share insights, and explore ways to do more. It became clear during the session that there is vast potential for progress in this space.
Several key lessons emerged from the half-day event, both from panel discussions and side conversations:
Consistency across agencies is crucial. As adaptive technologies evolve, land agency regulations struggle to keep pace. In these grey areas, land managers are often tasked with deciding on the spot what is permissible. This leads to inconsistency, making it difficult for disabled recreationists to know whether their handcycle, e-bike, or other adaptive devices will be allowed. Consistent and open communication across agencies on best practices and pain points is essential to remove this uncertainty and encourage greater access.
More resources are needed. Agency officials from the National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are tasked with doing a lot with limited resources. Often, 1 to 3 staff members handle all accessibility matters for the entire agency, with minimal funding. Increased resources could support expanded information-sharing efforts, such as online maps showing which trails, boat ramps, and campsites are accessible, as well as adaptive technology procurement and training for land managers.
The disabled community must be involved at all stages of decision-making. From drafting legislation to building out trails, it’s vital that disabled recreationists are part of the conversation from the outset and throughout implementation. Some success stories, such as the drafting of the EXPLORE Act and USFS Region 4’s collaboration with a Conservation Corps to include at least one disabled person when updating trails, highlight how real-time feedback and lived experiences can drive impactful change.
Opportunities exist for public-private partnerships in data sharing. One major challenge is the lack of accessible and usable data on outdoor sites. While individual parks or agencies may have information on accessible trails and recreation areas, this data is often difficult for policymakers or the public to navigate. Public-private partnerships, especially with companies that can crowdsource this information, present an opportunity to address this issue and improve access to valuable data.
Congressional offices can be hesitant to engage. A clear message from the congressional panel was that many of their colleagues are afraid to engage on this issue for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. As a result, they hesitate to pursue policies related to outdoor accessibility. The advocacy community will play an important role in providing education and actively engaging Congress to push this issue forward.
While significant progress has been made, such as through the passage of the EXPLORE Act and certain agency actions, much work remains. The roundtable demonstrated strong enthusiasm from government and advocacy stakeholders, united by a shared mission to do more for the disability community on public lands.
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