Inclusive adventure travel opportunities are expanding in various directions. Pioneers like Dada Moreira of Aventura Especial in Brazil feature rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and various adrenaline-enhanced experiences. Meanwhile, Bo Beolens, in the UK, quietly opens the outdoors to a more sedentary crowd "birdwatchers" or preferably, birders. Here he speaks to Travel & Disability Editor, Scott Rains:
Question: The Disabled Birders Association (dba) is something unique. You rooted it firmly in the birding world but you lead it to speak articulately for disability culture. How did DBA come about?
Answer: I am a birder. I have a mobility problem (Ankylosing Spondylitis) which at times makes walking painful and certainly limits the distance I can walk. On a good day I can manage 300 yards, on a bad day I have trouble walking to the office - and I work from home!
I found myself getting frustrated with the way in which what we in the UK call "nature reserves" are designed for fit and able six-feet tall young men. It occurred to me this is because the majority of people who work as wardens of reserves are six-feet tall, fit and able young men! There were few concessions to the average person let alone those with any restrictions on their mobility. So my prime motivation was selfishness - I wanted nature to be more accessible for me. Don't get me wrong, I never want any of the needs of wildlife compromised to meet my needs. I just wanted the designers to go back to the drawing board and make sure that the provisions they make for human access more friendly to all. The watchword is, of course, "barrier-free" access. Providers should be asking why a gate is needed and would a cattle grid be better, are steps the only way to enter a hide (blind) or could a ramp be used and so forth.
I always liken such provision to the shoe trade. Its as if the only shoes made were size 10 all-weather boots - those wanting size five pink stilettos would be sadly disappointed and have to try and make do. Most of us are not fit and able six-footers so viewing slots need to be at variable heights; not everyone can walk a mile non-stop so we, just like the birds need a perch every 150 yards or so; most of us cannot hear clearly as we age so loop-systems are needed in interpretation centers and so forth.
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