Outdoor Access Fundraiser
Join us as we raise funds to buy a GRIT Freedom Chair, an all-terrain wheelchair, that we will share with a local park system to loan out to visitors!
Why is this needed?
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It is estimated that over 5 million people use wheel chairs in the US and many others use assisted mobility devices like walkers and scooters.
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People who use wheelchairs and mobility devices are are often excluded from outdoor activities, not because their disability prevents them from getting out, but because outdoor spaces are not often built with their needs in mind. Most trails are not accessible without adaptive equipment which is expensive to buy, challenging to store when not in use, and often not available locally to rent.
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Why don't people use their own chairs on trails?
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Many personal chairs are lightweight, making it extremely difficult to navigate challenging terrain.​
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Many people only have one wheel chair, meaning they are taking their chair directly from the trail into their house! It's like wearing your muddy hiking boots directly into your bedroom.
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Most wheel chairs require you to propel yourself with your hands on your chair's tires - this is challenging when the navigating sloppy or goose-poop filled trails!​
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Reflection
Being disabled is difficult, to put it bluntly. But the environment around us can often be more disabling than the disability itself. If I want to be a part of environments like the woods, the beach, or the grass, it is usually only made possible by someone willing to carry me, which can often feel like I am the passenger rather than the driver of my own life. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to try out the Grit Freedom Chair. This was the first time in 2 years that I have been able to be a part of nature in the same way I was before becoming a wheelchair user. And the best part? I was able to do it independently. I could feel my muscles working, I could feel the breeze on my face, I could reach out and touch the nature around me. I know what it is like to have every bit of independence stripped from me, but I also know what it’s like to regain slivers of independence. The little things really do add up to be big things.
- Nicki A.
The Story
A few months ago, I met Nicki while buying groceries at Aldi and asked her if I could chat with her about her experiences as a wheel chair user and her ability to get outside. Finally after a Zoom call and two months of messaging it came together. In late March, we borrowed a Grit Freedom Chair from the University of Akron Field Station and brought it with us to our naturalist-guided family hike in Medina. While the team at Open Trail Collective has been researching various hiking mobility aids for the last two months, nothing prepared me for how cool this hike would be with Nicki.
Most adults wouldn't be all that stoked about joining 15 snotty, muddy kids and their parents on a hike around a nature center, but for Nicki, this was the first time in two years since she became a wheel chair user that she was able to experience the outdoors away from pavement. She was actually able to be in the woods and she was able to use her own body to get there. Through her own grit, determination, and sometimes a small push from family or a friend, she worked herself through some tough terrain.
The only way Nicki would be able to get in the woods otherwise, is by taking her own chair. Since she only has one chair, it is the same one she uses at her house or the grocery store - it would be like wearing her muddy, goose poop-covered hiking boots directly into her bedroom. Additionally, while her personal chair is lightweight to aid in portability, lightweight chairs are not good on tough terrain as they can tip over, roll backwards, or easily get stuck. Lastly, normally she would have her hands directly on the tires, meaning on a hike, her hands would be covered in mud and goose poop. Thankfully, the Grit Freedom Chair has levers for powering and steering and is hardy to tackle most terrain!
It was amazing watching Nicki use her body to navigate the outdoors in her own way. She pushed herself up hills, over lumps and roots, and through sloshy mud puddles. As Molly said in a survey about hiking mobility aids, "[With the Grit Freedom Chair's] smaller footprint, it also allows the individual to physically connect to being outdoors [...]. I feel able-bodies sometimes forget that part of our connection to nature is how we experience it physically. How it trips us or tires us. How we feel it under our feet." Nicki certainly showed us that the Grit Freedom Chair can help her be a driver of her own adventure; she felt her muscles burn and body tire as she was able to be included in the adventure.
Please join us as we fundraise for our own Grit Freedom Chair to bring on our adventures as needed and to also lend out to community members. The pride that Nicki had on her face the whole morning is certainly something we want to share with other members of our community.
PS. This isn't just for wheelchair users! A friend recently reached out about hiking aids for her daughter who recently broke her ankle and another friend reached out for support for their loved one that used to love to hike and now uses a cane.
If you're interested in supporting with a tax-deductible donation, you can pop over to our donation page or process it through Venmo (@opentrailcollective) or through Zelle (email: kara@opentrailcollective.org / phone: 440-537-4849). QR codes are attached below.
