Presenter(s): Hannah Buckingham—Environmental Studies
Co-Presenter(s):Nikos Skoufos, Tenley Ong, Ethan Baher, Spencer Palanuk, Alli Gerhardt, Grace Diaz
Faculty Mentor(s): Kathryn Lynch, Alexa Foor
Session 4: Environmental Leaders Program
Eugene’s reputation of highly accessible spaces has begun to attract users in need of unique accommodations and design considerations, and our tourism industries have begun to focus on identifying and marketing accessible trails. Eugene, Cascades, and Coast is one tourism marketing nonprofit focused on connecting visitors with usable and accurate trail information, and our purpose is to research their website and determine what accessibility information and trail information they are missing . By comparing Eugene, Cascades, and Coasts’ data against the USFS trail websites, we will contribute valuable suggestions, blog posts, and updates to the Eugene, Cascades, and Coast trail information websites . Our suggestions and updates will focus on accessibility needs, like bathrooms, parking, trail surface, and slope . The structure of our current project has changed given current events resulting from the outbreak of COVID-19, and while our previous task was to measure and record accessibility data ourselves, we will now focus on finding and communicating what data already exists . Through our work we hope to strengthen and deepen the degree of detail on our partner’s website, which will in turn help people searching for accessible trails find outdoor spaces in which they can recreate . Ultimately, our goal is to increase the justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion of our outdoor spaces .