July is Disability Pride Month, and while it may not be nationally recognized yet, celebrating individuals with disabilities doesn’t require a special occasion at Audubon. That’s why we’re partners with Birdability, an organization whose mission is to share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities and other health concerns and to ensure birding is accessible for everybody.
Audubon supports this mission by hosting the crowd-sourced Birdability Map cataloging the accessibility of birding locations worldwide. Audubon’s Enterprise GIS team synthesizes survey data submitted by supporters like you to provide detailed accessibility information that many people with access challenges need to know before planning a bird outing.
Making the outdoors accessible to everyone is a value upheld by the entire Audubon flock, but is exemplified by the work of Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary. Since 2015, the Bay Area sanctuary has partnered with the National Inclusion Project, an organization that helps ensure community-based activities are inclusive of young people with disabilities by providing funding, training, and programmatic support. Over the last six years, these resources have continued to shape Richardson Bay’s inclusive summer camp, which welcomes kids and teens with speech challenges, physical disabilities, and neurodivergent identities and promises a fully integrated summer adventure.
“It’s truly magical for the kids. Parents ask us where we get our fairy dust!” remarked Center Director, Casey Arndt, when asked about her passion for working with individuals with disabilities. “Richardson Bay has become a place everyone feels comfortable sending their kids.”
As Coronavirus restrictions continue to lift across the U.S. and we return to the outdoors for safe recreation, we hope you’ll take note of the accessibility of the spaces you enjoy. You can support Audubon and Birdability by surveying your favorite birding locations and submitting a Birdability Site Review to the Map. Together, we can make accessible birding a reality. |
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