Parks and Public spaces

Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan based in Lansing, challenged his industry during their 2018 Governor’s Conference to submit any new initiatives around accessible travel. One year later at their 2019 Governor’s Conference on Tourism, his partners went above and beyond the call of duty and submitted 19 new accessible or adaptive initiatives, which you can read about, below. Just think what could happen if all 50 states replicated the effort with a similar challenge to their partners!

Because the ideas are so smart that they’re worth stealing, we’ve listed each new initiative submitted by Michigan’s tourism industry in 2019 here:

1. Michigan State Parks offer an accessible kayak ramp and fishing pier at Interlochen State Park. Rifle River State Park hosts accessible hunting and some State Park beaches feature track wheelchairs for access to the beach and “mobi mats” for traditional chair access.
2. Traveling long distances in Michigan by car got easier. The Kellogg Foundation has funded fully accessible state rest areas.
3. The Ann Arbor Area CVB is updating their website this year to be compliant with ADA, including WCAG 2.0. The destination is welcoming to everyone and is removing barriers by making the website accessible to all using Audioeye technology. Watch a demo, here.
4. The Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum offers a Sensory Night every third Wednesday of the month. It’s a night for all to come to play in an inclusive, sensory-friendly environment.
5. The Holiday Inn & Suites Mt. Pleasant has rooms to accommodate hearing disabilities as well as ADA (wheelchair) accessible rooms.
6. Special Olympics Michigan offers a sensory room for athletes during the State Summer Games on the campus of Central Michigan University.
7. The Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau (GLCVB), who help to market Disney’s The Lion King performances, took a broad view of what other activities they could offer families visiting for the show. They gathered information on all current sensory-friendly programming offered in the local community. GLCVB says the assessment led to a much broader vision for the original simple marketing initiative and it became a multi-dimensional collaboration that has changed the community and how they welcome all visitors.
8. In 2018, over 800 hospitality and tourism staff were provided with autism spectrum disorder education and training in the Lansing region. As a result of the education process, seven attractions are now offering scheduled sensory-friendly programming and making information and resources available to guests in advance and while on site. Three attractions have enhanced and improved their existing programming as a result of the educational outreach.
9. At Lansing’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts, there are now 100% sensory-friendly performances of Disney’s The Lion King. Family members who have seen the show told front-line personnel that they “usually don’t travel or go out in public much” due to people not understanding their circumstances and they were glad to “feel welcome here.”  Many comments indicated this was one of the few special events their entire family had been able to attend together.
   More details, here.
10. Genesee County has developed Bluebell Beach to be inclusive. It includes accessible parking spaces and an accessible pathway from the parking area to the pavilion and accessible restrooms. Enjoy a barrier-free splash pad, paved pathways around the park and a connection to Flint River Trail, all meeting ADA accessibility standards. A barrier-free playground, complete with transfer station and Genesee County’s first Universally Accessible playground is installed at Bluebell Beach. Learn more, here.
11. The Barrier-Free Treehouse at For-Mar Nature Center is designed to allow visitors of all ages and abilities the opportunity to experience a treehouse overlooking the Kearsley Creek. Nestled back in black cherry, red oak, white oak, basswood, and butternut hickory trees, the treehouse stands approximately 30 feet above the bed of the Kearsley Creek oxbow and can be accessed by either staircase or ta ramp with grades to meet ADA requirements. Learn more, here.
12. The Alpena Bi-Path is an 18.5-mile pedestrian trail that winds throughout the City of Alpena. The paved path includes routes that run along picturesque Thunder Bay River and Alpena Wildlife Sanctuary, Lake Huron. The path also allows for access to Island Park, a nature preserve located within the City of Alpena. Walking, jogging, biking, fishing, rollerblading, wheelchair, assisted walker, and mobility scooter riders are seen enjoying the path year-round. The path also connects parks, shopping districts, waterways, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, two islands, fishing platforms, a boat harbor and lighthouse as well as residential areas to allow for universal access to some of Alpena’s most beautiful spaces. In addition to stunning natural beauty, the Bi-Path is considered an outdoor gallery with sculptures and public art along the route.
13. Ocqueoc Falls is the largest waterfall in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and the only universally-accessible waterfall in the United States. Ocqueoc provides approximately six miles of hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing opportunities with three marked loops. A viewing area, boardwalks, as well as limestone steps and wheelchair access allow for visitors to safely enter the falls (yes, even in a wheelchair). The remnants of an old mill race can be seen just above the falls and a State Forest Campground is located at the falls as well. Trails are groomed in the winter season for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and fat-tire biking.
14. Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center is a visitor center for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, featuring hands-on interactive learning activities for all ages. The Exploring the Shipwreck Century exhibit is located in the center’s main hall and includes a full-size replica wooden Great Lakes schooner and shipwreck where visitors can board the decks, feel a Great Lakes storm, and touch the massive timbers of the boat resting on the lake bottom. The handcrafted schooner follows ADA compliance allowing for mobility-assisted access inside the vessel as well as other areas of the exhibit.
15. South Haven has several local projects developed to provide access to Lake Michigan and the Black River in South Haven including an accessible concrete walkway  from the parking area to Lake Michigan at the Pilgrim Haven Natural Area just south of South Haven, an accessible kayak launch has been installed at Black River Park, an accessible fishing platform and bridge was installed at SHOUT park along the Black River in 2018 and an accessible walkway was installed on North Beach from the parking lot to the edge of Lake Michigan in 2018.
16. Frankenmuth’s Bavarian Inn has exceeded ADA compliance by providing their guests with in-room information, for example, which direction (left or right) the bed or toilet transfers are in a particular room. The Lodge has embraced this concept and prominently promotes it on their website. They will hard block a room for a guest with a particular need so they can have the best accommodation for them.
17. Frankenmuth is also exploring ways to provide additional accessible parking for large events, some of which are located in grassy areas.
18. Midland’s Canopy tour at Whiting Forest is fully accessible. This is the nation’s longest canopy park.
19. Muskegon’s Winter Sport’s Complex has developed a fully accessible luge experience, designed for non-winter use. This allows persons with a walking disability to experience the sheer joy of the luge.

Check for more updates and future innovations in the news section, here.