Making N.L.'s outdoors more accessible, one trail at a time
2 women are on a mission to make adaptive equipment more available in parks and trail networks
Outdoor spaces can be some of the best parts of a community. But Newfoundlander Kim White says when she was growing up with a disability, the outdoors never felt like home.
"I grew up in rural Newfoundland," said White. "I was literally, like, 20 feet from the beach and I was never in there. So I never felt welcome, I never felt like it was a place I could experience."
But that feeling began to change when White started working with Memorial University professor TA Loeffler and testing adaptive equipment like the Grit Freedom Chair. It's an all-terrain wheelchair that can be self-propelled, ideal for hiking trails and all sorts of outdoor spaces. Suddenly a world that had been off limits to White seemed wide open.
"When I'm out in nature, I feel joyful and happy and excited, and want to get out again."
The CBC's Zach Goudie tagged along with White and Loeffler to see the Grit chair in action, and learn how the two women were making adaptive equipment available in more outdoor places. Watch their story above, and for more stories like this from across the country, check out This Week In Canada on our new streaming channel, CBC Explore.
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