With less than a week until the 7th annual TravelAbility Summit in one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces on the planet, it seemed fitting to share this summit throwback on welcoming all into the great outdoors.
National Park Service Accessibility: From Compliance to Experience
Presenter: Jeremy Buzzell – National Park Service (NPS)
Mission: Make NPS more accessible not just by ADA standards, but by improving real visitor experiences.
🔹 00:30 | What is the NPS & Jeremy’s Role
- 400+ park units (only ~60 are “National Parks”)
- Jeremy is part of PAVE: Park Accessibility for Visitors and Employees
- Offers training and guidance—not authority or funding
🔹 02:50 | From Civil Rights to Tourism Mindset
- Shift from a “compliance lens” to visitor experience lens
- Adopts Sage Inclusion’s three pillars:
- Information
- Facilities
- Customer service
- Information
🔹 06:15 | Pillar 1: Accessible Information
- Focused on improving trip planning
- Moves away from vague terms like “accessible bathroom”
- Example: detailed vs. generic descriptions of facilities
Tools & Resources:
- 10:05 | Campground Information Standards
- 11:02 | National Accessibility Website with map and direct park links
- 13:20 | Examples of upgraded park website descriptions
🔹 16:00 | Trail Info & Adaptive Hiking
- “Accessible hiking” = modifying trail
- “Adaptive hiking” = user brings gear, needs detailed info
- Trail data includes slope, surface, grade, etc., but also needs location-specific clarity
🔹 20:00 | Pillar 2: Customer Service
- Common barrier: staff reactions, not terrain
- Emphasizes:
🔹 26:30 | Pillar 3: Facilities
- No separate “accessibility budget” — it must be integrated
- Look at entry-to-exit experiences, not isolated fixes
- Follow where money is already going, then improve accessibility there
🔹 28:00 | Final Message: Focus on Success
Promote what’s working. Help users say:
“I want to kayak — where can I go?”
…Not: “Is Yellowstone accessible?”
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