The Access Nature Forum was created to bring together a diverse selection of like-minded individuals to have conversations about improving access to natural places. We aim to engage those with disabilities, their families, caregivers, veterans’ groups, assisted living organizations, advocacy groups, nonprofit organizations, state, and local officials, and agencies in a public discourse that identifies public interest, concerns, and ideas, and join their voices for improving access to natural places.
Our goal is to bring about change for the betterment of our collective community. This is an opportunity for a section of our community to express what they need, want, and hope for, to make their lives and outdoor recreation more enjoyable through accessibility to the outdoors and the ability to gain a positive mental and physical health experience.
We will hold quarterly conversations via Zoom with the potential to add more meeting dates as our plan develops. If you are interested in participating in any forum discussion, please fill out the sign-up form below.
This is a work in progress, and we value your input on how we are developing, whether you would change or add to the information we provide, and how you think we can make this forum and website more useful. You can email Sean Kane Holland at sean@pinelandsalliance.com or fill in our survey form.
stay informed:
The monthly Access Nature E-Newsletter shares helpful accessibility resources, information about accessible nature sites in New Jersey, news updates and information about how to get involved. Sign up today!
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Access Nature Forum Schedule for 2025
Access Nature Forum – CorpsTHAT on Creating Inclusive Outdoor Spaces for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals
May 7th, 1:00 PM via Zoom
This workshop offers an in-depth introduction to CorpsTHAT, an organization dedicated to connecting the Deaf community with the outdoors through education, recreation, and career opportunities. We’ll dive into best practices for engaging Deaf participants in conservation corps and/or outdoor programs, focusing on essential communication strategies like using American Sign Language (ASL), visual cues, and technologies. We’ll also cover key accessibility considerations, from physical accommodations to creating spaces that are welcoming and empowering.
Missed the meeting? Watch the replay:
April 9th, 2025 Access Nature Forum NY/NJ Trail Conference
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a volunteer-powered organization with a long history of improving trail access and conditions on public land. This presentation with Peter Dolan will share ways that the Trail Conference is working to expand accessible trail opportunities, despite its construction capacity being primarily limited to volunteers and hand tools. This includes recent investments in accessible trail advocacy, education, and consideration in trail planning efforts. Foremost among these efforts is a new trail construction guidance document, funded by a stipend from the Access Nature Forum, which incorporates accessibility considerations into even the most rustic wilderness footpath trails.
February 11th, 2025 Access Nature Forum Disabled Hikers
What does it mean to build disability community and justice in the outdoors? Why is it important to have Disabled leadership, and how can allies and organizations be better partners? Join Syren Nagakyrie, founder of Disabled Hikers, for answers to these questions and more. Syren will provide an overview of disability language, models of disability, and how to think about access vs accessibility. They will share about their work as the founder of an entirely Disabled-led organization working at the intersections of disability justice and outdoor recreation, and how you can create more space for Disabled people to drive your access and inclusion work.
December 10th, 2024 Access Nature Forum Ocean Positive
New Jersey’s natural waters from the shore to the Pinelands are a central part of outdoor community, recreation and sport, and for over twelve years Ocean Positive’s Blue Journey Unified program has been ensuring that those with and without physical challenges have ongoing opportunities to come together in, on and by the waters we love. Ocean Positive’s Bruckner Chase has developed adaptive aquatic sports programs from Australia to South Jersey and in this Access Nature Forum he will share his experiences in developing operational plans, safety protocols, outreach initiatives, and equipment resources to allow everyone to realize the fitness, health, and well-being benefits of being outdoors on and in the water together.
November 13th, 2024 Access Nature Forum Joe Zesski
In this presentation, Joe Zesski, Program Manager of the Northeast ADA Center, discusses the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it applies to the communications of state/local government as well as businesses and nonprofits. He will particularly focuses on the requirement to provide effective communication to individuals with disabilities and what that means in the digital space. Mr. Zesski reviewed what makes electronic communication most accessible to the largest number of individuals. He provides best practice strategies and tips for achieving accessibility in documents, presentations, social media, and other forms of electronic communication.
August 13th, 2024 Access Nature Forum Rebecca Martin
Meet Rebecca Martin, a candidate in the Rutgers School of Social Work PhD program and student affiliate of the Rutgers Hub on Aging Collaboration. She believes the work we do is only as strong as our ability to discuss it. In this Language Matters presentation, Rebecca will be presenting on the importance of using language in a culturally competent way when engaging with people with disabilities and considering other intersectional positioning. She will provide nuanced considerations while also providing practical tips for where to start and important strategies for adapting your communication to best align with the preferences of the members of your local community.
May 15th, 2024 Access Nature Forum Andy Stitt
Meet Andy Stitt, a web developer specializing in accessibility standards. He works for the State of Delaware building and maintaining websites for government agencies and municipalities. In this Access Nature Forum, you will learn why web accessibility is important, how to test your current websites for accessibility, and how to incorporate accessibility into your content design and development processes. This webinar is geared towards public and private land managers seeking guidance for their websites and implementing best practices for accessible web design.
April 24th, 2024 Access Nature Forum Maayan Ziv from AccessNow
Meet Maayan Ziv, an activist, photographer, and entrepreneur who has created a powerful shift in thinking about the importance of accessibility in our world. Maayan is the founder and CEO of AccessNow, a mobile app and website that collects and shares information about the accessibility status of places worldwide. In this forum, learn how to leverage AccessNow’s innovative approach to assess spaces, empower individuals with disabilities to contribute, and effectively market the results through the AccessOutdoors Program. Learn how you can play a role in creating a more inclusive and accessible outdoor experience for all!
March 12th, 2024 Access Nature Forum JORBA Trail Association
An insightful discussion by Tom Hennigan from the JORBA Trail Association. He discussed how to provide access to native surface trails in the backcountry and adapt universal trail design principles to include a broad spectrum of trail users. He provided an introduction to adaptive mountain biking and discussed guidelines for building inclusive sustainable and accessible trails. His presentation includes recommendations for trail width, camber, turn radius, and grade to accommodate adaptive mountain bikes as well as considerations to balance accessibility, sustainability, and environmental impact when developing inclusive trails.
February 12th, 2024 Access Nature Forum Stafford Township in Ocean County
A conversation with Matthew R. von der Hayden, Township Administrator / Director of Water & Sewer Utility with Stafford Township in Ocean County. Matthew discussed the creation of an all-inclusive passive park at Forecastle Basin that will incorporate ADA accessibility, reforest the area, and create an environment for all to enjoy. He delved into the project details that he and the Township Engineer, Frank Little, were working on to accomplish the 13-step process laid out by the Pinelands Commission. Stafford Township is nearing the end of the process and is looking for the final MOA to build this passive park and pathway for the community.
January 10th, 2024 Access Nature Forum New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
A conversation with Peter Dolan, Trail Program Manager for the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Peter discussed how the sustainable design elements that are incorporated into modern trail building often align with accessible best practices, making it easier than ever to create natural surface opportunities for trail users with disabilities.
October 11th, 2023 Access Nature Forum Burlington County Parks Accessibility Features
A conversation with Matthew Johnson who is the Coordinator for Open Space Acquisition & Park Development with Burlington County Parks. He discusses his role, current projects and initiatives, and ADA-accessible trails and amenities within the county park system. He covers opportunities for networking, information on funding opportunities and resources, and how to get involved as well as how the public can support ongoing projects. We discussed our goals to make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible for individuals with special needs.
September 13th, 2023 Access Nature Forum Disability Rights NJ Meeting
A conversation with Craig Ismaili, a staff attorney with Disability Rights NJ, and his colleague Regina Smith. The presentation summarized the relevant regulations regarding inclusion and accessibility for vision impairments, deaf or hard of hearing, sensory processing disorders, and anxiety. They highlighted examples from across the country and brainstormed best practices for increasing accessibility and enjoyment of outdoor spaces in NJ in relation to these disability concerns. Finally, attendees reviewed considerations and tips to begin the conversation about accessibility in their own space.
April 12th, 2023 Access Nature Forum Get To Know Your Parks Meeting
A conversation with Jeremy Buzzell, Branch Chief for the National Parks Accessibility Program. He discussed his role, current projects and initiatives, opportunities for networking, information on funding opportunities and resources, and items to focus on for our goals. National Parks in New Jersey include Sandy Hook’s Gateway National Recreation Area and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
January 11, 2023, Access Nature Forum Kick-Off Meeting
This inaugural Zoom meeting provided a tutorial for our AccessNatureNJ.org website. It was a great and productive discussion!
Project Partners
This Forum is a part of The Pinelands Is for Everyone project of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA). We aim to work with people with disabilities and their allies to make nature more accessible, so everyone can enjoy the benefits of being in our region’s magnificent nature spaces. For more information, go to our web site here.
Pinelands Preservation Alliance is the leading environmental constituency-building and advocacy organization for the protection and enjoyment of the New Jersey Pinelands, an ecologically unique region of 1.1 million acres in Southern New Jersey.
Disability Rights New Jersey (DRNJ) protects, advocates for, and advances the rights of persons with disabilities in pursuit of a society in which persons with disabilities exercise self-determination and choice and are treated with dignity and respect.
Hopeworks is a social enterprise that uses technology, healing, and entrepreneurship to transform lives. Its unique trauma-informed approach, combined with high-demand, high-wage technical training and paid work experience helps build young people who can not only get jobs but keep them.
This initiative was funded by an Inclusive Healthy Communities Grant from the Division of Disability Services, New Jersey Department of Human Services.