Richard.Snyder@p0.f121.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Richard Snyder) (12/14/90)
Index Number: 12469
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without permission - Please credit
the National Council on Disability.
NCD Held Wilderness Accessibility Hearing
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Jackson Hole, Wyoming was a site of a Wilderness
Accessibility Hearing held by the National Council on Disability.
Responding to a mandate in Title V, Sec. 507 of the
Americans with Disability Act, the NCD will "conduct a study and
report on the effect that wilderness designations and wilderness
land management practices have on the individuals with
disabilities to use and enjoy the National Wilderness
Preservation System as established under the Wilderness Act."
The Hearing, which was held at the Jackson Lake Lodge August
brought together a diverse group of people, including federal and
state government agencies, organizations and representatives of
outdoor facilities, persons with disabilities who utilize
wilderness areas, and preservation and conservation associations,
to discuss their perspectives on wilderness accessibility for
people with disabilities.
Although the discussion varied depending on the presenter,
several concerns and recommendations did emerge.
One major concern appears to emanate from a misperception
that people with disabilities, in order to gain greater access to
wilderness areas, want to make drastic changes to the environment
to accommodate wheelchairs.
David Park, chief of special programs and populations
branch of the National Parks Service, Department of the Interior,
testified that the issue of accessibility for people with
disabilities "Is simply another factor in the overall equation of
finding a balance between levels of accessibility for people in
general to enjoy the experience in the national parks, and
providing the development necessary to support that enjoyment and
to preserve and protect those resources."
Balance and the common sense approach to this question of
accessibility were common themes at the hearing.
Nancy Verderber of St. Louis, Missouri, Stated for the
record as a person with mobility problems she understood the
emerging debate on this emotional issue and said, "The bottom
line is to use common sense ideas to make things work."
Greg Lais, the executive director of Wilderness Inquiry II
from minneapolis, Minnesota, also pointed out how impassioned
this issue can be, and "encouraged the National Council to
endeavor to defuse this emotional aspect of the accessibility
issue, by continuing work with the various groups."
The formation of an accessibility advisory group by the NCD
was a recommendation that received support from the presenters.
In addition, the NCD was asked by Darrell Knuffke of the
Wilderness Society "to remain vigilant to the potential for the
distortions of the issue of wilderness accessibility and join
with them in fighting those attempts."
Knuffke added, "The Wilderness Society believes that
disabled individuals should be assured the opportunity to enjoy
the precious resources of wilderness ... Disabled individuals,
like other who love wilderness, want to enjoy wilderness in a
manner that protects the integrity of both the Wilderness Act of
1964 and the land that Act seeks to preserve."
As this hearing came to a close, it was clear that the NCD
would be visiting other wilderness areas and conducting
additional hearings in the future. It was also clear that
preservationists, government representatives and disability
advocates expressed a strong desire to work together to preserve
this and other issues as they present themselves.
The other presenters were; James Kenyon, a recreation
planner with the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in
Verginia; Chuck Frayer with the U.S. Forestry Service in
Portland, Oregon; Keith Corrigall with the Bureau of Land
Management in Washington, D.C.; Wilson Dolman, the director of
Parks and Wilderness Department for the State of Texas; Ken
Buck from Lino Lake, Minnesota; Buffy Fetter and Justin
McDevitt from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Colleen Trout,
Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Colorado; Russ
Milleson, who directs the Blue Spruce Lodge and Guest Ranch in
Trout Creek, Montana; John Galland of Special Populations
Learning Outdoor Recreation Experiences, from Minneapolis,
Minnesota; and Don Brown who directs the American Wilderness
Leadership School in Jackson, Wyoming.
A report on this subject will be published at the
conclusion of this process. Those who are interested in
receiving a copy should write to the NCD.
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Upcoming NCD Quarterly Meetings
March 1991 --- Los Angles, Ca.
June 1991 --- Atlanta, Ga.
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What Is The NCD???
The National Council on disability is an independent
federal agency comprised of 15 members appointed by the President
and confirmed by the Senate. The NCD is charged with reviewing
all federal laws, programs and policies affecting Americans with
Disabilities. The NCD makes recommendations to the President,
Congress, Commissioners of the Rehabilitation Service
Administration, and Director of the National Institute of
disability and Rehabilitation Research. The NCD is the only
federal agency with cross-cutting responsibility for disability
policy issues.
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Copies of the NCD newsletter are available free-of-charge.
Their news letter is available in normal (magazine/newspaper
type) print - Large Print or Audio tape.
Contact - the National Council on Disability
800 Independence Avenue, SW
Suite 814
Washington, D.C. 20591
Phone - (202) 267-3846 Voice
(202) 267-3232 TDD
(202) 453-4240 Fax
"FOCUS" is the name of their publication.
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