Michigan parks, beaches are improving access to visitors with disabilities

In 1992, Cynthia Burkhour was taking her 12-year-old daughter Erin on a stroll across a zigzag bridge at Hager Park in Ottawa County when Erin’s wheelchair got stuck while turning a corner. Erin had suffered a stroke four months earlier that left her paralyzed on one side and with a language disorder, forcing her into a wheelchair and facing the harsh realities of large swaths of the outdoors being widely inaccessible.

“I hadn’t figured out that it wasn’t accessible until I got her wheelchair stuck on it,” Cynthia Burkhour said. “When your kid looks at you and goes, ‘really you thought this was accessible?’ … I felt pretty dumb.”

Fast forward 30 years, and Michigan has made large strides to make parks like those Erin went to more accessible for those with disabilities. Even after Erin’s incident, Hager Park replaced all of its bridges to be more accessible.

Read the full article: Michigan parks, beaches are improving access to visitors with disabilities [Bridge Michigan]