Galvanized by the belief that the beauty and richness of Appalachian wilderness should be accessible to all, a network of regional leaders has launched a new social media campaign aimed at building awareness of highly accessible outdoor destinations for people with disabilities.

“The challenge we are addressing is the difficulty in finding outdoor places that are both safe and easy to use for people with disabilities,” said Committee Member Leah Jones-Marcus. “This campaign highlights the many destinations across rural Appalachia that go above and beyond in creating accessible tourism experiences.”

The initiative was born as a result of the team’s participation last year in the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Leadership Institute. The cohort of 10 regional leaders and activists was challenged to create an actionable plan to promote regional economic diversity and help their communities thrive. The grassroots group competed for and won a small grant from the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy, a partner in the ARC Leadership Institute, to fuel the Accessible Appalachia project.  

Throughout the month of March, National Developmental Disability Awareness Month, Accessible Appalachia will be posting resources on social media, featuring 13 accessible tourism destinations, one across each ARC-identified state, with sites ranging from Mississippi to New York. Accessible Appalachia will also be championing leaders across Appalachia who excel at inclusive recreation.

One such standout is the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Aimee Copeland Foundation, which provides free, high mobility all-terrain track wheelchairs at 10 state parks, historic sites and a wildlife center. The track chairs allow for the navigation of more difficult types of terrain for those with mobility issues and can be used for hiking, hunting, fishing and other outdoor education and recreational activities.

“This is exactly the kind of work that Accessible Appalachia will celebrate and promote in hopes of connecting all people to the outdoors,” Jones-Marcus said. “We want to raise awareness about the inclusion of those with disabilities in all aspects of community life, as well as generate awareness of the barriers that are sometimes faced. Many places don’t take accessibility into account or only do so minimally. This is something we also hope the campaign will change.”

For more information about the campaign or the work of Accessible Appalachia, contact [email protected]. For more information on the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Leadership Institute, visit ARC.gov/Leadership. 

ABOUT ACCESSIBLE APPALACHIA
Established in 2022, Accessible Appalachia consists of a group of regional leaders committed to recreational accessibility for people with disabilities within the 13-state Appalachian region. Accessible Appalachia champions accessibility for these individuals in all aspects of community life and raises awareness about the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in outdoor tourism settings.

Source: Accessible Appalachia