TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Parks and Public spaces

Nature Calls: UNWTO Answers – Best Practices for Improving Accessibility in the Great Outdoors

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Wheelchair bike on national park trail.
NPS/Jacob W. Frank

The UNWTO’S Working Group on Accessible Tourism, in coordination with its Affiliate Members Department and the Spanish Network for Accessible Tourism has published “Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development: Compendium of Best Practices.” The publication addresses the topic of accessibility in the outdoors and public parks.

The document provides examples of best practices for improving accessibility in nature to attract travelers with disabilities. The publication is an important step in opening nature areas to disabled people, which is a priority for destinations around the world.

To read the full report, which includes valuable case studies, visit the UNWTO website. You can read more about the publication in this article from ENAT.

National Park Service Produces Film Series to Showcase Accessibility at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

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Tourist standing at foot of giant tree in Sequoia National Park.

The National Park Service has produced 6 films to highlight accessibility at the breathtaking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

On its website, the Park Service states that it hopes the films give disabled visitors “an in-depth tour of selected features and facilities so that you can decide whether a visit, hike, camping trip, or tour are within your reach.

The individual films, each about 3 minutes in length, describe accessibility features such as tours of the Crystal Cave with American Sign Language, tactile exhibits on the Grant Tree Trail, wheelchair accessible Sequoia Shuttles, accessible campsites and more.

To learn more about the accessibility at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and to watch the videos, visit the NPS website.

Splish-Splash! Beach Wheelchairs Truly Make Oregon Beach “Free For Everyone”

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A close-up view of Haystock Rock and its resident tufted puffins are now accessible to wheelchair users, thanks to new beach wheelchairs in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The city’s long, sandy coastline is among the most beautiful in the state.

Visitors can rent the beach wheelchairs for free, checking them out from the nearby police station. Officers will keep watch over the visitor’s personal mobility equipment, which is safely stored inside the station.

“It’s making our beach, which is free for everyone, free for everyone,” said Pooka Rice, the outreach coordinator for the Haystock Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach.

OUR TAKE: Cannon Beach is the latest city to make an investment in beach accessibility, and its new beach wheelchairs will make it possible for disabled visitors and residents to enjoy the sun and sand!

For the full text of the local news report, see the original article.

After 2,460 years, the Acropolis in Greece is Now Accessible

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Acropolis hill against a blue sky.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, visited the Acropolis of Athens earlier this month to inaugurate a new lift and pathways which bring wheelchair accessibility to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thanks to these new accessibility features, wheelchair users and others with limited mobility will be able to see the ancient buildings that sit on the top of the hill, most notably the Parthenon. The Prime Minister praised the investment in accessibility, calling it “a project for the whole world.”

OUR TAKE: Modern technology can be integrated into ancient historical sites to enable greater access for everyone. The work done at the Acropolis of Athens has received widespread support and will now make one of the most iconic world heritage sites wheelchair accessible.

To read more, click here.

Spotlight: 6 of the Best Wheelchair Accessible National Park Trails

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Trail in public park.

Candy Harrington, the writer behind the accessible travel website Emerging Horizons, recently shared a list of six national park trails that are accessible to wheelchair users. With her guide, wheelchair users and others with mobility challenges can explore some of America’s most beautiful parks, including Sequoia, Shenandoah and Yellowstone.

OUR TAKE: As disabled people begin to think about planning trips for the new year and in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s hard to think of a safer environment than America’s beautiful national parks. Accessible trails offer visitors of all abilities the opportunity to get out there and explore nature, surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the great outdoors.

To check out the list, click here.