See it - Touch it - Try it! Events to help those with disabilities take their first steps outdoors

Can demonstrations of specialized equipment and programs to those supporting people with developmental disabilities help them begin to walk and bike on local trails, or even imagine other adventures like kayaking?

As captured in previous posts on Kennett Outdoors and Kennett Ability Network, it can be hard for those supporting people with Intellectual / Developmental Disabilities and/or Autism (IDA) to imagine enjoying the outdoors. Almost fifteen years after our first forays outdoors, Margot is still so thrilled by new adventures we discover every year. This past summer, for example, we added a twist to our daily kayak on the St Lawrence River... we found a set of rocks that we could paddle to where Margot could loll about in the water (see above) while others floated in the shallows nearby. It was one of the highlights of our annual vacation to the Thousand Islands!

But for those supporting someone with IDA, there can be so many barriers, so many other challenges to be faced every day, and so many memories of outings gone awry... how do you start believing that such adventures might be possible? So we are exploring a couple of ways to help people imagine and then take those first steps. In this post, we describe events that provide opportunities to see, touch, and in some cases try some of the specialized equipment and programs that can help, and just talk with us face to face. Other posts will describe some other ways to help people with IDA enjoy a path through the woods for the first time using a specialized stroller or pedicab with the help from a coach.

Our goal this fall is to host several of these See It! Touch It! Try It! events at parks that offer paths, and others at programs that help people with disabilities (see right or download a sample flyer below). Our first such event will be held this Saturday at Willowdale Chapel in Kennett Square between 3 and 5pm to coincide with monthly respite night offered to people with IDA. Check our home page regularly for the latest schedule of events that will be updated weekly as we identified more venues this fall!

At such events, we bring specialized equipment that people can see - a stroller/ bike trailer, tandem bike, pedicab, and skis. We point parents and professionals to other resources they might take advantage of - like our Chester County Outdoor Access Guide, and our Fresh Air Self Care FOR ALL program. We are available to answer questions about how all of these might work for a particular person with IDA. And at some events at parks, we have additional staff who can accompany a parent or professional on a walk or ride to see exactly how this might work for them!

Touch It Events handout 9-4-26.pdf

Download PDF • 16.05MB

Why do all this? One of the lessons we learned from our adventures getting Margot on skis is that is really helps to see and touch the kinds of specialized equipment that might help us. Seeing the right equipment can sometimes help us make the shift from just dreaming to actually planning, because we can begin imagine the stress and effort involved for ourselves and for the person we might be getting outside. Take the Wike specialized strollers, for example: these require so little effort to set up and push, and can so easily accommodate most people with IDA, we think that just seeing a Wike can help some people imagine the possibilities.

Sometimes seeing and touching the equipment is not enough, which is why we are also working on events where people can actually try the equipment. This gives them not only a chance to experience for themselves the effort and stress involved, but to see how their person with IDA responds to the experience. If they are as excited about it as Margot is every time we introduce her to a new adventure (like lolling about in a rock in a river), we think parents and professionals might too be hooked! For example, we are confident that trying an e-Bike might help a parent who has not biked in years not only rediscover the fun of biking, but also see how the electric assist makes towing even a trailer with a 150 lb bundle of love a breeze.

There is nothing more reassuring than having a second pair of experienced hands available when trying something new, so we are also planning on having experienced staff on hand to accompany a parent or professional at events in local parks where they might try a first walk or ride. Almost everyone caring for someone with IDA can tell you about outings gone awry.... while these experiences can make for GREAT stories, it is no surprise that they can also make a parent or professional hesitate to try something new. And I see this hesitation in Margot's staff the first time I ask them they are trying something new outdoors with her. So I have learned not to under-estimate the stress involved in trying a new adventure, and am working to provide opportunities to coach the person the first couple of times out (see below).

Sometimes the hardest part of trying something new is just taking the first step... in this case, the first ride in a stroller, in a trailer, or on a bike. Events held at parks aim to take these first steps, by offering to lead a parent/professional on their first stroll or bike ride. This is important because the smiles we expect to see will help motivate the next steps. So in addition to offering to push a person in a stroller or tow them in a trailer while a caregiver walks or rides alongside, we will also offer short rides in our Trio Taxi pedicab. This is inspired by our experience riding along with a Cycling Without Age program bringing seniors in similar pedicabs to explore the shores of Lake Okanagan in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia.

We are already exploring some of the next steps we might take in helping people with IDA get outdoors, depending on the response to these first events, so stay tuned!

1. Those supporting people with IDA might need more than one outing with a coach before they can strike out on their own, so we are arranging to make up to 3 individualized coaching sessions available to persons in the region.

2. Those supporting people with IDA might need more time with the equipment before committing the funds needed to acquire their own, so we will be setting up a program to loan Wikes to parents or programs who have completed (1).

3. A Wike might just be out of reach for some families, so we are working on partnerships and funding to offer a limited number of Wikes at - or maybe even below - cost to eligible familes who have completed (1) and (2)...

4. We are exploring an adapted version of the Cycling Without Age program for people with IDA in our region.