New land trust grant program supports disability inclusion
The program is a partnership between the Land Trust Alliance, the Council for Inclusive Health and Disabilities, and Disabled Hikers.
Land trusts increasingly recognize the need to provide access to nature for the approximately one out of every four U.S. adults who live with a disability.
The Land Trust Alliance and the Council for Inclusive Health and Disabilities have partnered with Disabled Hikers to create a new grant program that awarded grants to 10 land trusts in 2024. The projects span initiatives such as creating advisory councils, providing staff training, updating trail guides and offering adaptive hiking and climbing opportunities.
Among this year’s awarded projects, Blue Hill Heritage Trust in Maine will improve trail guides and enhance website accessibility while New York’s Mohonk Preserve will collaborate with adaptive outdoor recreation groups to provide inclusive hiking and climbing on the Shawangunk Ridge. Vermont’s South Hero Land Trust will expand events designed by and for disabled people, and Idaho’s Kaniksu Land Trust will develop policies and programs that create a welcoming outdoor experience for everyone.
Another key resource supporting the movement is “Open to All: A Disability Inclusion Guide for Land Trusts,” developed by the Land Trust Alliance in 2021. The guide offers concrete steps and best practices for removing barriers to access in nature preserves and outdoor programs.
This story originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of Saving Land magazine.