White Clay Creek State Park unveils the first publicly accessible all-terrain wheelchair in the state.
The chair is waterproof, mud proof, and equipped with motorized treads for climbing traction. It also has headlights and a horn.
Delaware State Parks received a grant from Ford and the Bronco Wild Fund to purchase the all-terrain wheelchair. It was one of only seven grant recipients nationwide.
Delaware State Parks director Ray Bivens says this wheelchair is part of an ongoing effort to address accessibility at the state’s parks.
“Every day in parks we’re trying to make our parks more accessible, even if you don’t consider yourself disabled,” Bivens said. “Having a trail that is dependable, that you know you’re not going to be writing things off. There’s a wide array of experiences.”
The all-terrain wheelchair can be used by reservation at White Clay Creek State Park.
Bivens hopes it’s “the first of many to come” for Delaware State Parks.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn Garvin agrees that the chair increases accessibility – and he hopes to add more across the state parks system.
“I mean, the goal is for us to get more of these to kind of centrally locate them throughout the state, at least initially, so that we've got the ability, you know?” Garvin said. “This one's in the northern part of the state, but we've got other parts throughout the state.”
Jared Towery, a disability advocate who suffered a spinal injury three years ago and is now paralyzed, demonstrated many of the chair’s features.
Towery explained that as a disabled person, the chair allows him to take part in lots of activities that were previously unattainable.
“I mean, it's a thing we always chase, it's freedom, you know?” Towery said. “Because there's a lot that gets cut off and that hurts.”
And Towery praised Delaware State Parks for its dedication to accessibility.
“It’s a really good feeling that there’s things like this in the world that I can go ahead and use to explore the world,” Towery said.
