Visit Idaho has launched a new online accessibility hub that has favorite experiences and recommendations from real adventurers with disabilities, along with additional connections to local resources.
Most travelers with disabilities still say the greatest barrier to accessibility in the outdoors is the lack of information.
“We’ve realized that while we can make the outdoors more accommodating, it’s challenging for visitors to enjoy if we don’t provide the needed information when they are planning their trip,” explains Andrea Rayburn, a tourism specialist with Visit Idaho. Visit Idaho is soliciting accessible travel tips on the site, so additional recommendations and first-hand reviews can be shared.
Outdoor accessibility has been called The Last Frontier when it comes to the ADA. States like Idaho, where more than 60 percent of the land is public, have abundant natural resources and outdoor adventure to lure travelers from around the world, but outdoor accessibility has been a particularly tough issue to address on public lands from aspects like ADA accessible bathrooms to paving trails in more remote areas. And given that disability is a very large spectrum, what is accessible for one person may not be to another. Is the trail wheelchair accessible, or accessible only to wheelchairs with off-road tires or all-terrain equipment? A simple icon denoting accessibility doesn’t tell the full story.
