One thing the COVID pandemic has made me grudgingly aware of is my mortality. It’s made me circumspect about staying healthy and empathetic towards those who have tragically succumbed to the virus or have been permanently debilitated. I’m grateful to be able-bodied right now, but I realize it’s a temporary state. Now in my early 60s, I expect that my tweaky back, grouchy ankles, and on-off again vertigo may limit my ability to engage in birding in the not-too-distant future. When that day comes, I will be indebted to the good work of Virginia Rose, a retired high school and college English teacher from Austin, Texas, and founder of Birdability.
Rose is a paraplegic who has used a manual wheelchair for 47 years after a horse-riding accident at age 14. She discovered her passion for birding about 17 years ago after attending a local Audubon chapter meeting. She was immediately hooked, not just by the birds, but by the sense of freedom, community, and joy birding gave her. In 2018, Rose launched her Birdability initiative by completing a solo bird-a-thon of 5 wheelchair-friendly parks in the Austin metro area. Her mission: to help mobility-challenged folks get outside and experience nature by way of birding—and in turn, make birding more accessible. Her effort attracted attention from local media and the National Audubon Society, and soon, Rose was the face of the fledgling Birdability campaign.
Birdability focuses on removing barriers to access for birders with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, intellectual or developmental disabilities (including autism), mental illness, being Deaf or Hard of Hearing or other health concerns. ~National Audubon Society
What I admire about Birdability is that it helps us able-bodies people think and act more inclusively. Often it is the environment that is disabling, not the person who is disabled; and why should accessibility be a barrier for anyone wishing to experience the great outdoors. Rose sings the praises of being in nature, how it challenges her, empowers her, and provides the greatest happiness of her life. In birding, Rose learned “My best self was waiting there all along.”
A key ‘product’ of Birdability is the gathering of information on accessibility features of outdoor spaces. This information is crowd-sourced from people on-the-ground who contribute Birdability Reviews describing the accessibility of parks, hiking trails, and birding spots. Submitted and vetted sites are then added to the online interactive Birdability Map, which lists hundreds of locations nationwide.
Reading through the extensive list of accessibility issues in the Site Review, I was uncomfortably reminded how ignorant I was about what makes a site accessible to the mobility-challenged birder. ADA compliance is the bare minimum for all potential users, but what’s accessible for one user may not be accessible for another. Just ponder a few examples:
- Does the parking lot have a handicapped-accessible spot for vans w/ 8 ft. of space for loading?
- Is the parking surface paved or gravel & are there curb cuts to allow safe navigation from parking lot to trail?
- Are gates manageable for anyone to open?
- Are trail surfaces hard & free of protruding roots, rocks, or potholes for safe wheelchair travel?
- Are the boards of a boardwalk spaced appropriately?
- Do boardwalk railings obstruct views?
- Are viewing blinds optimized for wheelchair users?
- Do fences and/or cattleguards serve as barriers?
- Are ramp slopes manageable?
- Are ADA-accessible restrooms available?
- Are tactile signs available?
If you know of an accessible birding spot that isn’t on the Birdability Map, consider submitting a Birdability Site Review of your own!
The Birdability website offers excellent Guidance Documents to get folks involved in the movement, be that holding an accessible bird outing, doing Birdability Reviews to populate the Birdability Map, or helping accessibility-challenged birders get out birding themselves. I found all of these resources incredibly enlightening:
Access Considerations for Birding Locations
Inclusive Communication and Language Use Tips
Steps to Implement Birdability Locally and at Bird Festivals
Template to Advocate for Accessible Changes in Your Community
Take the Survey!
Consider taking advantage of an opportunity to help National Audubon Society better understand YOUR accessibility challenges when you go birding. Take the Birdability Birders' Survey 2020!
We hope birders who have permanent or short-term mobility challenges, medical conditions, disabilities or other health concerns that interfere with their ability to participate in birding will complete this survey. We'll use this information to help inform and create more accessibility in birding by working to remove or modify these barriers.
Responses are due by December 15th (this Tuesday). The survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. Please consider adding your valuable input.
Your turn Chorusers — what bird activity is happening in your area?
You’re cordially invited to add your songs & photos to the mixed flock.