Happy Disability Pride Month!
July 1, 2023 8:22 AM Subscribe
For Disability Pride Month, check out these accessible ways to visit Nature. Accessible Nature: A Trail Guide for Disabled Hikers
We highlight a selection of paths, overlooks and other sites in several U.S. parks that outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities can enjoy this summer.
(NYT Gift Article)
Roll call of mefites with disabilities?
Present.
Spinal cerebellar ataxia type 3.
posted by Keith Talent at 9:23 AM on July 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
Present.
Spinal cerebellar ataxia type 3.
posted by Keith Talent at 9:23 AM on July 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
Waves hello. ME/CFS. Power wheelchair user. Read with large print/audio. Short-term memory is ... what was I talking about?
posted by Jesse the K at 10:12 AM on July 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Jesse the K at 10:12 AM on July 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
Me. Been here forever. brain stem lesion with facial paralysis and spastic quadriparesis, a partial paralysis from the eyes down.
posted by wheelieman at 10:19 AM on July 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by wheelieman at 10:19 AM on July 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
Diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis at the ripe old age of 18. I don't feel entitled to the label "disabled" because I can fake being fully abled for a while. But given all the problems I've had with joints and eyes and so on over the decades, I am.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:45 AM on July 1, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:45 AM on July 1, 2023 [7 favorites]
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hypermobile type), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue. More willing at times to call myself chronically ill, at times disabled, but really it's both. Hello crew!
posted by cabbage raccoon at 11:51 AM on July 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by cabbage raccoon at 11:51 AM on July 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
qualify for a lifetime pass to the National Parks if you are disabled
As Bottlecap's link notes, this is a pass to (almost) all United States Federal recreational lands which includes Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, National Forests, and more. Some of these places might not have entry fees or organized activities but may have very fine camp grounds - including ones that are developed and accessible - that will be made much more affordable with this pass. Also, it covers up to three other adults with you at places that charge by vehicle / campsite, which is a nice incentive for friends and family when you could use some help getting there.
I went to an in-town federal office to inquire about how best to get a pass and left with one in hand at the discretion of the person behind the desk. A number of folks on Reddit describe similar low key situations. Most public lands employees want to help you get out there. Collecting, submitting, and tracking (yet more) documentation can be a struggle. If you can readily get to an accessible office, headquarters or visitors' center (check here to see which ones), which I know isn't going to be the case for everyone, going in person may be the way to go.
State Parks that have fees often have a similar pass option!
Do note that these passes require U.S. (or State) residency although I can't recall being asked any questions re. that by the Federal employee.
Thanks, Bottlecap!
posted by to wound the autumnal city at 12:33 PM on July 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
As Bottlecap's link notes, this is a pass to (almost) all United States Federal recreational lands which includes Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, National Forests, and more. Some of these places might not have entry fees or organized activities but may have very fine camp grounds - including ones that are developed and accessible - that will be made much more affordable with this pass. Also, it covers up to three other adults with you at places that charge by vehicle / campsite, which is a nice incentive for friends and family when you could use some help getting there.
I went to an in-town federal office to inquire about how best to get a pass and left with one in hand at the discretion of the person behind the desk. A number of folks on Reddit describe similar low key situations. Most public lands employees want to help you get out there. Collecting, submitting, and tracking (yet more) documentation can be a struggle. If you can readily get to an accessible office, headquarters or visitors' center (check here to see which ones), which I know isn't going to be the case for everyone, going in person may be the way to go.
State Parks that have fees often have a similar pass option!
Do note that these passes require U.S. (or State) residency although I can't recall being asked any questions re. that by the Federal employee.
Thanks, Bottlecap!
posted by to wound the autumnal city at 12:33 PM on July 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
Mmaybe? My right hand's deformed, which isn't really all that limiting. I can't handle "ergonomic" or split keyboards at all. I took typing in High School, and learned to type with my left hand. (Our teacher did some reading on how I should type, since the standard method obviously wouldn't work.) My home row's the middle of the keyboard. I type 3/4 of the keyboard with my left hand, and 1/4 with my right thumb. Those keyboards break me, and it's worse than hunt and peck, since they increase the travel of my good hand.
posted by Spike Glee at 12:48 PM on July 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Spike Glee at 12:48 PM on July 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
ADHD crew represent! Annnd probably autism, but I'm not getting an official diagnosis on that one in case I need to leave the US due to being transgender, as that could potentially limit my options. Same with the kid. Same with the spouse, except he has physical stuff as well. We're a bunch of weird brains without executive function over here.
posted by daikaisho at 1:21 PM on July 1, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by daikaisho at 1:21 PM on July 1, 2023 [6 favorites]
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. (That's the closest diagnosis, but we have a distinct and extraordinarily rare COL2A point mutation.)
I had no idea about the National Park pass! I'm so happy to learn of this. Traveling and activities are so difficult for me these days that I'm not sure how much use I could get from it, but I sure would like to do so. I've not been to many of the National Parks and seeing more of them is a burgeoning late-life ambition.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:07 PM on July 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
I had no idea about the National Park pass! I'm so happy to learn of this. Traveling and activities are so difficult for me these days that I'm not sure how much use I could get from it, but I sure would like to do so. I've not been to many of the National Parks and seeing more of them is a burgeoning late-life ambition.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:07 PM on July 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
Had a spinal neuroblastoma at six months old. I have neurological damage in the lower half of my body as a result, and my growth was stunted from radiation. My feet are deformed. I have lordosis and scoliosis. I also have adhd, bursitis, arachnoiditis, and diabetes.
posted by miss-lapin at 5:12 PM on July 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by miss-lapin at 5:12 PM on July 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
Your friendly neighborhood ventilator-dependent quadriplegic checking in.
posted by Soliloquy at 9:14 PM on July 1, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Soliloquy at 9:14 PM on July 1, 2023 [8 favorites]
Complications from diabetes means I am mildly disabled, though I don’t “think” disabled. I’m still coming to grips with that.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 12:40 PM on July 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 12:40 PM on July 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Single-sided hearing loss; autism spectrum (self-diagnosed); diabetes; alcoholism.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:53 PM on July 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:53 PM on July 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
Eyes which never worked together. No depth perception. Therefore non driver.
Both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. It’s been a tough go.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:00 PM on July 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. It’s been a tough go.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:00 PM on July 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Manual wheelchair user with permanent foot and ankle injury. Autistic and diabetic. I am very mobile in my chair. I salute the disabled people who came before for fighting for the ADA. I appreciate every curb cut and ramp, kneeling buses, and all the kind people who have helped me up steep grades.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:03 PM on July 2, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:03 PM on July 2, 2023 [7 favorites]
Hi. Chronic daily headache unremitting for almost 30 years. Osteoarthritis and something mysterious and not treatment-responsive in the region of my SI joint that keeps me from standing without pain. Ambulatory wheelchair user with good biceps, very independent with mobility scooter for longer distances. Need help with household tasks which I get from my teenager.
posted by Well I never at 6:37 AM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Well I never at 6:37 AM on July 3, 2023 [3 favorites]
Cerebellar Ataxia (unspecified) and a vestibular disorder.
posted by nixxon at 1:33 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by nixxon at 1:33 PM on July 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
ExoSym-er (I use an ExoSym device so I can walk), celiac, and ADHDer/autistic person here!
posted by cnidaria at 6:03 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by cnidaria at 6:03 PM on July 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by Bottlecap at 8:25 AM on July 1, 2023 [15 favorites]