I was out on my regularly weekly walk to my local council run nature reserve, where I often go to pursue my past time – wildlife photography. When I was confronted with a wooden bridge that had two rather large holes in it and no hand rail. It looked like it was on its last legs. To get across the bridge I had to hold on to some tree branches and pray that I didn’t lose my balance, as I would have ended up soaking wet. Once I had miraculously completed that precarious challenge, I was hoping to continue without further ado. This, however, was not to be the case: there was another Indiana Jones moment ahead of me – a collapsed wooden bridge in the middle of a ditch. The only other way across was a narrow wooden plank. I didn’t realise that you now need circus skills on your average leisurely country walk. As a registered disabled person with cerebral palsy, I found this challenging. How much more difficult would it have been for someone with more severe disabilities?
It is tragic that our countryside is out of bounds for so many disabled people when physical and mental health is becoming an ever-increasing issue due the stresses of modern life. For example, welfare cuts and struggling to gain employment. Now, when there is so much scientific evidence proving the health benefits of going outside it is appalling that access is so restricted.
In 2013 the, ‘Feel Better Outside, Feel Better Inside’, report by the charity, Mind with findings from the University of Essex. Found that a walk in a nature setting such as the countryside or a garden reduced depression in 71% of the participates. My personal experience reflects this. Over the last four years I have been dealing with anxiety because of the difficulties I have faced while trying to seek employment. At the time when this all began I was prescribed sertraline and offered counselling sessions at my local GP practice. It was during that summer a turning point happened, I spent a lot of my days outdoors on the council run nature reserves. Being surrounded by wonderful scenic views, gaining regularly exercising while absorbing the smell of the rich essence of woodland trees and observing buzzards in their circular flight. It contributed to my feeling more at ease with my anxiety than any form of medication. This experience of nature had a profound effect on me as I felt I could deal with difficult situations more easily.
I strongly believe that our countryside should be open and easy to visit for the mental and physical health of all disabled people. Currently, however, this isn’t the case. It was recently revealed by, ‘The Ramblers’ Big Pathwatch Survey’ that one tenth of the 140,000 miles of the footpath network in England and Wales was blocked due to barbed wire and overgrowth. This also included paths in our national parks. Not only does this discourage non-disabled people to go out to the countryside it will have a greater impact on disabled people who are already experiencing inaccessibility in their local areas. In 2013, two-thirds of disabled people decided against visiting attractions due to the lack of clear information about how accessible they were. (The Great British Tourism Survey, The Great British Day Visits Survey, The Disability Holiday Directory).
I feel that there are many disabled people who miss the joys the natural world has to offer. Since the disability discrimination act of 1995 and the equality act of 2010 there has been improvements in accessibility to some areas of natural interest with the emphasis on wheelchair users. However, I feel this does not go far enough and I feel we should go even further. We must include those with visual and hearing impairments, learning disability and multiple and profound learning disabilities as well as those with physical disabilities. As an advocate and campaigner for disabled people I truly believe that wild places that span, the length and breadth of this isle should be accessible to all. With creative thinking, I know that we can achieve this and I would like to see a coordinated effort where charities, agencies and councils work together. With Scope support I have started a campaign called All for Nature and Nature for All. It is basic human right to connect with nature and it should be open to all regardless of ability. Nature doesn’t discriminate but does put up physical barriers – we need to work together to overcome them.
The Unconventional Naturalist 