Designing access with and for the community
“We have these beautiful lands and incredible infrastructure, but a whole segment of the community was not being served,” says Nicole Braddock, executive director of the Solano Land Trust. “We are looking at this as a longevity thing; we must strive for access for all if we will indeed protect these places forever.”
Nicole joined forces with like-minded visionary Mike Muir, caretaker for the land trust’s Rush Ranch property and founder of Access Adventure. Mike, a wheelchair user himself, had a long history of helping people with disabilities to experience the freedom and joy of nature using his exceptionally well-trained horses.
Nicole was not only inspired by Mike’s work, she also wanted to see the land trust increase accessibility on Rush Ranch and its other properties. At a Land Trust Alliance Rally workshop on disability and inclusion, Nicole learned the only way to successfully achieve this goal was to invite community members living with disability to join her at the “design table.” With Mike’s help, she pulled together an accessibility advisory team of community members with multiple ability levels, a variety of disabilities and differing experiences in nature to advise the land trust on improving recreation facilities with the goal of making everyone feel comfortable accessing all that the land trust properties had to offer.
Solano Land Trust looked at all its upcoming projects to see where it could adjust plans to complete accessibility projects. On site visits, the advisory team pointed out features where accessibility could mean independence. At Rush Ranch, the land trust incorporated the advisory team’s suggestions to bring an accessible trail through the picnic area and create an accessible picnic site that doubles as a campsite. Phase 2 planned improvements include a water fountain with foot pedals, picnic tables with the wheelchair cutout in the middle instead of on the end, rope-guided trails for visitors who are blind and a shaded amphitheater. The team members also helped test new surface materials to make trails easier to use with a wheelchair.
The land trust also completed a community input project to learn what the community knew about the organization and what would draw more people to the land. Participants highlighted the need for more accessible features on trails, including shaded resting areas, more benches for people who need breaks and short trails that reach interesting destinations. They learned that some people who had not grown up in nature do not always feel safe out on the ranch, while others are nature veterans but don’t have the same stamina or abilities they once did. The land trust worked to create various levels of nature immersion with the goal that all people feel safe, comfortable and independent at the nature preserves.
Solano Land Trust and Access Adventure credit each other with their success in providing accessible programs, as well as the larger collaboration involving many other partners, including community support and funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (through the San Francisco State National Estuarine Research Reserve), individual donors, grant funds from the Solano County Orderly Growth Committee and an in-kind planning grant from the National Park Service. Today on a visit to Rush Ranch you might revel in a horse-drawn wagon ride using the solar-powered wheelchair lift. Whether you want to fly a kite, learn how to drive horses, get out on a trail or just enjoy the view, Solano Land Trust believes its lands are there for all people.
Photos courtesy of Tom Muehleisen