Their goal is to facilitate the removal of barriers to recreational trail usage through providing information, increasing accessible features, and supporting park managers in making changes.
Funded by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation with other support from the National Park Service and Move United, the Trail Access Project has made two videos to introduce and further their mission.
From their website, they describe why they are undertaking this mission:
"Some parks have wonderful facilities that most users would consider accessible; however, others need to improve upon the quality of experience available to visitors with disabilities. A person with a disability, along with their family and friends, is commonly restricted to a short, token, paved sidewalk near a crowded visitor center. The U.S. National Park Service website for one park describes 58 miles of mostly-flat hiking trails but states that those with disabilities can enjoy the park from their cars. The most visited national park in the U.S. boasts of 800 miles of hiking trails with 0.5 mile as "ADA accessible". Existing “accessible” trails frequently provide a minimal, less meaningful, and sometimes dangerous experience compared with those provided to an able-bodied person. Park managers sincerely want to change that discrimination.
The Trail Access Project was incorporated to provide actionable information to both park managers and trail users to enable more inclusive, meaningful exploration of America's extraordinary natural places."
Trail Access Project from Ed Price on Vimeo.
How to assess a trail from Ed Price on Vimeo.