Exploring rugged park trails has long been a challenge for outdoor adventurers with physical disabilities, but it is getting easier in some states.
This past fall, Georgia and South Dakota became the latest to offer people with mobility impairments or physical disabilities free access to motorized all-terrain wheelchairs at some public parks and sites. About 3 million Americans use wheelchairs.
Equipped with tank-like treads, Georgia’s 500-pound chairs can traverse rocks, mud, tall grass, and streams. They can even navigate through snow, up steep inclines, and over fallen trees. To buy the chairs, the state partnered with the Aimee Copeland Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at empowering people of all abilities.
Travel blogger Cory Lee says he can now explore parts of Georgia’s parks that are off-limits in his regular wheelchair. “I’ll finally be able to go on these trails for the first time in my life,” he told reporters.
Colorado, Michigan, and Minnesota also provide free access to off-road wheelchairs in some parks.
Says Johnathon Freeborn, a park manager in Colorado: “When you see the look on a kid’s face who is getting to play on the beach or along our trails, that’s why we do the job we do.”