The Land Trust Alliance has long recognized the connection between land conservation and public health and wellness. The belief that land can help people, places and communities thrive is a foundational principle of land conservation and the work of many people who dedicate their lives to saving land for future generations. To be strong and durable, land conservation must be inclusive and serve a broad range of community needs. People with disabilities have the same desire to enjoy nature and reap its health and well-being benefits as people without disabilities. Land trusts are taking hold of an opportunity today to provide better access for all, recognizing approximately 1 out of every 4 adults in the U.S. lives with disability.
To support land trusts to adopt inclusive practices that benefit people with disabilities, the Land Trust Alliance collaborated with the Lakeshore Foundation and the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability to create the Partnership for Inclusive Health.
Open to All: A Disability Inclusion Guide for Land Trusts
In late 2020, the Land Trust Alliance surveyed its land trust members on their experiences with people with disabilities, and on access and inclusion issues. The survey showed that both the need and will to make programs more accessible are there, but that land trusts were looking for “guidelines and/or best practices for inclusion” and “examples of inclusion efforts from other land trusts.”
Created in 2021, Open to All: A Disability Inclusion Guide for Land Trusts provides concrete steps to expand a land trust’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts with an emphasis on people with disabilities. As requested, this includes examples, advice and guidelines to help your land trust address and remove the barriers that prevent inclusion of people with disabilities in your programs and on your nature preserves.
By the time you finish reading this guide, we hope you will understand the principles of inclusion that you can integrate personally and professionally, with the knowledge that nature is for everyone.
Partnerships for Disability Access, Inclusion and Leadership Grant 2024
The Land Trust Alliance and the Council for Inclusive Health and Disabilities have partnered with Disabled Hikers, a leading organization in the disability and outdoors space, to co-create a new grant program. The goal of this grant program is to advance accessibility, inclusion and belonging for disabled people through partnerships, relationship and trust building and co-creation of programs and services.
Blue Hill Heritage Trust
Through community partnerships, Blue Hill Heritage Trust looks to improve accessibility and inclusion within its organization by updating its guide to the region’s trails and outdoor recreational opportunities and adding new accessibility features to its website.
Mohonk Preserve
Mohonk Preserve will partner with multiple adaptive outdoor recreation groups to provide hiking and climbing opportunities on the Shawangunk Ridge. The groups would participate in exploratory meetings via Zoom to build trust and community and make multiple field day visits to the Preserve.
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy will establish an Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Council and create core competency training for staff and volunteers which will address disability inclusion, ADA Compliance and best practices for creating welcoming and inclusive nature preserves and public programs.
Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Inc
Shirley Heinze Land Trust will create a regional advisory council that enables disabled people to contribute to capital improvement planning, communications and program development.
South Hero Land Trust
South Hero Land Trust will partner with the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association and other members of the disability community to expand events designed by and for disabled people, and to complete an accessibility audit of South Hero Land Trust’s trails and natural areas.
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy will establish an Accessibility and Inclusion Committee to provide leadership, create actionable work plan items, collaborate with and inform work of existing program committees and provide recommendations to the board of directors to improve accessibility and inclusion in all CCC programs and on CCC lands.
The Conservation Foundation
The Cultivating Equitable Access project aims to strengthen connections between The Conservation Foundation and various local partners led by and working with people with disabilities. This grant will deepen these existing connections to co-cultivate a more accessible and equitable experience through TCF programs, communications and facilities.
Openlands
This project aims to enhance accessibility for individuals with disabilities on Openlands' Get Outside Map by collaborating with Access Living, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Through focus groups, piloting changes and creating an assessment report, the project will increase access to outdoor recreation and information in the Chicago region for people of all abilities.
Genesee Land Trust
Genesee Land Trust will implement accessibility and inclusion recommendations to Genesee Land Trust programs, services and nature preserves identified by disability inclusion partner Rochester Accessible Adventures.
Kaniksu Land Trust
Kaniksu Land Trust will leverage partnerships with disability organizations to comprehensively assess accessibility, develop inclusive policies and procedures, provide staff training and implement tangible improvements across our sites, programs, and information with the goal of creating a more equitable and welcoming outdoor experience for people with disabilities throughout our service area.
Land Trust Alliance Advisory Council on Inclusive Health and Disabilities
The Partnership formed the Land Trust Alliance Advisory Council on Inclusive Health and Disabilities, which includes leaders from various disability sectors and the conservation community. The Council amplifies the voices, knowledge and lived experience of leaders in the inclusive health and disability sectors and builds the capacity of the Alliance and its members to design and implement successful community-centered conservation models.
Read a letter from the CouncilThank you to the Council
Special thanks to Land Trust Alliance Advisory Council on Inclusive Health and Disabilities:
