Melinda Anderson: Melinda.anderson@state.mn.us

Make park elements accessible and convey accessible information to the public.

Hannah Dudney: hannah.dudney@mail.utoronto.ca

Parks hold an important place in my heart and my goal is to make sure all people feel welcomed into these spaces. My upcoming PhD projects will be aimed at improving accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities in public spaces like parks- feel free to reach out!

John Foster: john.foster@ontario.ca

Accessible recreation infrastructure, design, and equipment.

Zoe Gignac: zmgignac@gmail.com

I always loved Dark Sky Night because I always had a hard time with the heat during the day. I wish that parks were able to have a sensory room or environment for people with sensory issues.

H-K

Karen: karenvb07@gmail.com

I have Cerebral Palsy I am an advocate for the disabled and the environment.

Kristen Habermehl: kristendhab@gmail.com, www.AtlanticAccessibility.ca

I am passionate about creating meaningful access in outdoor spaces. Having worked with national parks, as well as municipal parks, I love being part of creating access for everyone to go everywhere!

Steve Hutton: Shutton@ccprc.com, www.ccprc.com

I am the ADA Coordinator and Director of Recreation for a large, Special Purpose Park District which provides parks, programming (outdoor recreation, festivals and events, education, endurance races, youth sports, etc.). We offer beach access parks, water parks, overnight accommodations, nature centers, historic sites, marinas, equestrian facilities, etc. I oversee all efforts to improve accessibility throughout the system, train all staff, manage our ADA Transition Plan, etc.

Gabrielle Jolly: gabrielle.jolly@bcparksfoundation.ca, www.bcparksfoundation.ca

I work as the Self-Guided Activities Coordinator at the BC Parks Foundation. My role is to create self-guided resources for visitors to enjoy while spending time in a BC Park. These are primarily downloadable digital resources that folks can access via www.discoverparks.ca. Some example resources are trail guides or a birding checklists. This is a brand new project and I am hoping to connect with folks that could assist me in addressing a diverse range of accessibility needs for creating these types of resources. Not only creating alternative formats for people with visual or cognitive impairments, but also creating specialized activities for certain disabilities. I personally don’t identify with a disability and so I would really love to hear from other lived experiences and even get others to create some resources themselves!

Kari Krogh: kari.hope223@gmail.com, www.ecowisdom.ca

EcoWisdom is interested in creating and promoting park/nature programming that is inclusive of people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and challenges associated with aging. We are based out of the EcoWisdom Forest Preserve and work online and in public parks, primarily in ON and BC. As a team, we offer an accessible online nature and forest therapy training program in addition to programs, public talks, and community-based projects (see: https://ecowisdom.ca/about-ecowisdom-ca/ecowisdom-team/). We are a social enterprise led by a majority of disabled people. We offer forest bathing programming as a form of peer support and the benefits of our programs have been documented in research: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/5/1033. Instagram: ecowisdom_forest_preserve

Pat Longmuir: pe.longmuir@alum.utoronto.ca

Objective measurement of park facilities and including trails to enable people to make informed choices about their outdoor adventures.

Karen Mills: Karen.mills2@Toronto.ca, www.Toronto.ca

I am an Accessibility Consultant for the City of Toronto and am always interested information on making parks more accessible and inclusive.

Wesdyne Otto: contact@positive-shift.com, www.positive-shift.com

Accessibility Training, post-secondary work placements for students with disabilities living in rural settings across Canada.

Mary Patrick: marylpat@hotmail.com

I have an environmental illness which keeps me from visiting the parks due to chemicals.

Craig Paulson: craig.paulson@gov.bc.ca, www.accessibility.bcparks.ca

I’m a park facility project manager with experience designing accessibility-related consultations and upgrades at a park and organizational level. I’m interested in research collaborations and personal connections to learn more about improving accessibility.

Kerilyn Perron: kperron@rbg.ca

Using GIS technology to understand and increase accessibility for Public Gardens.

Shelley Petit: Shelley@nbcpd.org

Chair of the NBCPD (New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities). We represent all forms of disabilities ( visible, invisible and mental health). In NB, most parks are not accessible, and even if they were, there’s limited accessible transit to get us there. Personally, I also suffer from severe mcs, fibro, endometriosis, ibs, and a heart condition ( from covid) …Big 5 ….many others. Looking to connect on all things re accessible parks.

Gilles Roure: gilles@zero-limit.ca, www.zero-limit.ca

Supplier of sport and outdoor adaptive equipment.

Julie Sawchuk: julie@juliesawchuk.ca, www.juliesawchuk.ca

As a person with a disability and accessibility strategist I help people make their spaces more accessible. Outdoor spaces are of particular interest to me because there is so much work to do, and so much to be gained by making them accessible.

Ivy Smith: ismith@elac.ca

I am a landscape designer who works on many projects to improve accessibility in parks. I am always looking for new ideas and insights.

A KL Touray: tourealh3@gmail.com

For better and equal access to all…

Justin Truelove: justin@truenorthtrails.com, www.truenorthtrails.com

I manage a trail consultation firm and am always looking to connect with those with lived-experience, land managers and other to assist in improving accessibility, removing barriers and also creating new trail and outdoor experiences with the best opportunities for accessibility to all in mind. I am a firm believer in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits that access to the outdoors can bring to all of society and I hope to help in any way that I can with the work that I do across Canada and worldwide.

Yihang Zhang: yihangz@unbc.ca

I am a master’s student at UNBC, BC. My supervisor, Dr. Zoë Meletis, and I are working on exploring virtual tourism options for nature-based destination promotion and accessibility.