A radical idea: everyone should have access to a place where they can enjoy the beauty and wonder of our natural world.
Travel + Leisure, the top travel media brand worldwide, recently featured five beautiful National Parks with the help of data from Friendly Like Me (you can check it out at this link!) We uncovered some amazing leaps and bounds in accessibility, from braille, large print and digital brochures at the Rocky Mountain National Park to high-tech accessibility tools like the High-Efficiency Trail Assessment Process pushcart at the Great Smoky Mountains.
Our Friendly team was so excited to hear a big brand name like Travel + Leisure wanted to highlight places where accessibility for all was not just a consideration, but a priority. Getting out and exploring all that the world has to offer can be a daunting, challenging, and sometimes impossible task for those with barriers to accessing even basic services. Finding ways to bridge the gap between people and the places they want to go does not have to be, nor should it be, a solo trek through a dangerous wilderness.
We reviewed every National Park and dozens of beaches all over the United States in an effort to inform our users about the tools and equipment available in advance. Locations like Shenandoah National Park have Limberlost Trail, fully accessible hiking paths through the forest designed to accommodate assistive mobility devices to provide freedom and comfort. Glacier National Park has ASL-trained rangers to facilitate equal access to discovery and learning. Sequoia and Kings Canyon provide shuttles and manual wheelchairs at no cost to patrons.
We’re all part of the same planet, and we all deserve to look at the amazing wonders it produces with awe and delight together. We hope our investigation and data recovery helps you and your loved ones do just that.