December 2024/Issue # 6
Mobility Hunt
Coming live from Georgia! In November, I was fortunate enough to take part in a Mobility Hunt put on by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). First, let me walk you through the scenario. Twelve hunters applied for this opportunity. Each hunter brought a support person with them. The hunters would be able to place their names in a random drawing, leading to the location where they would be hunting. All of the locations were on GDNR or USACE lands. The hunters would have three days to hunt the lands, and if they were successful in downing a deer, an armada of people responded to help them.
I was manning the grill, cooking hot dogs, and double cheeseburgers, and toasting everyone's buns. Luckily, I could see this unfold with a level of teamwork that reminded me of my time in the military. The hunters assembled in their wheelchairs and drew names for the locations, then promptly swapped them around to meet the desires of each other. The way that they worked together, bargaining, and planning was something that I needed to see. My eyes were watering from the smoke on the grill(wink, wink), but I could see how important and inclusive this was. The level of excitement was truly a thing to witness. Everyone had a smile on their face in anticipation of the upcoming adventure.
There were three EcoRovers at this meeting. The EcoRover is a tracked wheelchair that was designed by Cordell Jeter, who is a paraplegic. The EcoRover has a wide range of terrain that it can conquer, so what better place to utilize it, than in the woods? I saw a video of a hunter who was returning from his adventure. It was dusk and he was piloting his EcoRover out of the woods, the fog lights were like two beacons getting closer and closer. As he came into view, his smile was from ear to ear. That is when I could see the trophy deer that he had downed, being towed behind the EcoRover. The hunter's excitement was contagious and everyone was cheering him on. These are the moments that make the difference. Providing the tools so people can explore and discover their adventures. This is what Making Nature Accessible is all about.
Sensory Experiences
Wildlife is abundant in the woods. The sounds of birds chirping and singing songs make the trees come alive with activity. A woodpecker hammering away at a tree. The skittering of squirrels chasing each other through the leaves and up and down the trees provides an entertaining show for us to watch. At night, the owls come to life and call out to some unknown entity, echoing across the distance. Tree frogs, crickets, and other forest life create a symphony of sounds for us to enjoy.
How do persons with hearing disabilities enjoy the sounds of the forest? Many conventional hearing aids allow modifications that will amplify higher frequencies, where many bird songs are conducted. This also plays a part in the prevention of sensory overload. High-frequency signals can be converted to digital signals when using Hear Birds Again, an iPhone app. This is similar to slowing down the speed on a track, making it easier to pick up the song. There are mobile apps that pick up bird songs and convert them to sonograms or sheet music. A person can read the sheet music of the bird. Isn't that amazing?
Mobility Mountain will provide a space for this to happen, a quiet place for wildlife to flourish. It is our passion, to connect persons with disabilities to nature. Offering visual, auditory, and other sensory experiences will help promote health and wellness. There is an entire world out there just waiting to be discovered. Nature is calling, if we listen, using whatever method we have.
The Inception of Mobility Mountain, part 6.
By Jeffrey Pryor
I sat at the small desk in the hotel room and began writing down ideas, all of them based on the things that I had seen, the discrepancies, the unequaled access, and the feeble attempts to check a box and call if acceptable. I wrote down the following items as a standard for what Mobility Mountain would offer: A curved zip line, an amphitheater, private and spacious campsites, an all-persons trail, a tracked wheelchair trail, an inclusive playground, two bath houses, a camp store with cafe, pre-bundled firewood with kindling, and a community firepit.
I paused and wondered how expensive this would be to start. When I researched the cost of a curved zip line, my heart sank. I realized that some things will have to be implemented at a later stage. The meat and potatoes of Mobility Mountain should be providing access to nature through the use of adaptive equipment. Some things take priority over others, like the all-persons trail and the inclusive playground. By installing these first and opening them to the public, we immediately begin offering a connection to nature. The tornado of ideas is always rearranging itself, but the basic structure is coming along nicely.
I laid the pen down and crawled into bed. I had to present my idea and compete in a Shark-tank type fashion in less than four hours. As I lay there looking at the campus lights peering in from around the curtains, I missed the woods, the campground in which I was working and living at the time I left for this program. It was dark, full of natural noises, and far away from the ever-present city lights. My mind ventured into a space where people with disabilities were moving about, enjoying themselves. Smiles were on their faces, adaptive equipment was connecting people to nature, and people were conversing with each other. The tribe was in full swing and I was able to witness its amazing beauty. I smiled and softly said, "Please give me the strength, courage, and determination to see this through. Give me the chance to make this opportunity a reality." I dozed off feeling at peace.
Read more next month.
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