Late in 2016, Helen was selected as a NSW Churchill Fellow. Her fellowship was awarded to connect with groups in Canada, USA and Europe and share the progress we’ve made so far under the Naturally Accessible framework. The aim of the fellowship is to share our work and bring back new ideas to further improve access to natural places in Australia.
Helen’s 8-week travel over July–Aug 2017 included meetings with land managers and practitioners, as well as camping and getting out onto some interesting tracks and trails. Helen has also kept a track of some of the specific campsites and trails that she tackled in her manual wheelchair via her blog – we hope this helps others plan some interesting trips overseas too.
Canada
Highlights from Canada included camping out with CRIS adaptive adventures, a non-profit outdoor adventure guiding organisation for people with disability.
Helen was also thrilled to hang out with people at Alberta Parks. Don Den Hoed Curruthers’s masters/PhD theses on inclusion practices in Parks have been part of the reading list since starting the Naturally Accessible project, and Alberta Parks certainly has a big name in this space.
USA
In the USA, Helen visited San Francisco and met with staff from the Golden Gate National Recreation Centre and checked out some of the accessible tracks in the area.
She was really excited to spend time with Bonnie Lewkowicz, one of the major players in pushing for improved access around San Francisco. Bonnie authored the 2006 edition of ‘A Wheelchair Rider’s Guide: San Francisco Bay and the Nearby Coast’, and is the principal creator of Wheeling Cals Coast.
Another person Helen was keen to meet was Ashley Lyn Olson. Ashley’s WheelchairTraveling website was one of the first that she came across when researching accessible outdoor experiences in the USA.
Alvaro Silberstein was an absolute pleasure to connect with. His truly exciting project WheelTheWorld brought together a team of people to fundraise and trek the ‘W’ section of the Torres del Paine in Patagonia.
Beneficial Designs was an absolute gem to discover. Their work on automatic data collection of track conditions was fascinating.
On the East coast, Helen visited the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEAS) at the University of Buffalo, meeting Edward Steinfeld, a leader in the fields of accessible and universal design.
UK
In the UK, Helen caught up with Chris Veitch from Visit England to learn how information provision has improved access to many tourism experiences in the UK.
She then headed north into the Yorkshire Dales, visiting Experience Community – a fantastic initiative that brings together like-minded people to explore the countryside by video descriptions of tracks as well as guided walks.
Finland
In Finland, Helen spent time with the Metsähallitus staff, exploring truly spectacular natural places.
Germany & Switzerland
The final destination was the European Alps, where it was a lot of fun to use trains and cable cars to access the mountain tops. Switzerland Tourism are doing a fantastic job working towards more inclusive experiences in the Alps.