National Park Virtual Tours Google Arts & Culture partnered with five National Parks to create immersive multimedia virtual tours. Each tour includes narrated video experiences from the parks. Viewers can dive a shipwreck, fly with bats, and travel through caverns, among other adventures. The five parks offering multimedia tours are: Kenai Fjords, Alaska Hawai’i Volcanoes, Hawaii Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico Bryce Canyon, Utah Dry Tortugas, Florida Google Earth and the National Parks Service have also teamed up to offer virtual tours of 31 National Parks. Google Earth has provided this service to help people connect with the outdoors during the Covid-19 health crisis, but virtual services like this can benefit people with disabilities any time. Hopefully more will be made available in the future. Virtual visitors can view panoramic images of a number of popular attractions and overlooks. Pan with your mouse or click the directional arrows on the image to move around. To go to the next viewing area, click the numbered arrows on the bottom right of the screen, or zoom and pan the map. Google Earth accessibility features includes screen readers and keyboard shortcuts, but the tours are images only. Always remember that our national parks are stolen land and many of the popular sites hold spiritual and cultural significance for Indigenous peoples. Please engage respectfully, even when visiting virtually. The 31 Google Earth National Park tours are: Acadia Arches Badlands Big Bend Black Canyon of the Gunnison Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Channel Islands Cuyahoga Valley Death Valley Denali Dry Tortugas Everglades Glacier Grand Canyon Grand Teton Great Smoky Mountains Guadalupe Mountains Joshua Tree Mesa Verde Mount Rainier Olympic Redwood Rocky Mountain Sequoia Shenandoah Virgin Islands Wind Cave Yellowstone Yosemite Zion Videos Olympic National Park – this two hour long tour of trails through Olympic is in 4K HD. The camera work is smooth and the ambient nature sounds are beautiful. Audio Recordings Last Echos of Nature – audio recordings from various “sonically special places,” by Gordon Hempton of Quiet Places International. Support a groundbreaking new resource for disabled people in the outdoors.

A black background with white text "Rural communities stand up for black lives" Disabled Hikers is based in the traditional lands of the Quileute now known as Forks, Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Our vision is an outdoors culture transformed by fair representation, accessibility, and justice for disabled and all other marginalized peoples. On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, a multiracial family traveling in a converted school bus was accosted by a group of local residents in eight cars at the grocery store; this group accused the family of being associated with “antifa.” Photos show residents partially boarding the bus as they questioned the family. The family had to navigate around the cars to leave the parking lot, and were followed by four vehicles, two of which had people who appeared to be armed, out to a local logging road where the family intended to camp. Shortly after setting up camp, the family heard gunfire and chainsaws nearby. They decided to pack up and leave, but the road had been blocked by felled trees. A group of high schoolers assisted in clearing the barrier and local law enforcement escorted the family out of town after interviewing them. Disabled Hikers condemns this violent, terrorizing act committed by members of the community. It is unacceptable for armed people to take it upon themselves to question, terrorize, and entrap anyone, especially a multiracial family who is in our area for recreation. It must be mentioned that this act of violence comes on the heels of another Olympic Peninsula business, a gun store, spreading false rumors about “antifa being bussed in to town” and encouraging people to show up armed to “defend our community.” This sort of rhetoric encourages violence and becomes self-fulfilling; the only violence that occurred in our communities during this week is that which was created by these vigilantes. As a major hub of outdoor recreation in the state, the Olympic Peninsula, and Forks in particular, has a responsibility to create a welcoming community for all. While it is true that these heinous acts were committed by a few individuals, they do not occur in a vacuum, and the culture that encourages and dismisses such acts must be addressed. Disabled Hikers demands accountability from all people who were involved and from city leadership. Accountability must include actions that the city and those involved plan to take to make sure this never happens again, including the immediate removal of any city leaders who were directly involved or complicit in this violence. Everyone who lives in and visits the West End deserves to feel safe. In light of these events, and until the above actions are taken, Disabled Hikers cannot in good conscience encourage the marginalized people that we serve to visit this area. We are currently assessing our plans for events in the area and for including local recreation opportunities in the upcoming publication of The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon. It is our sincere hope that meaningful change will result from these events. Disabled Hikers continues to be in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. We understand that, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “a riot is the voice of the unheard.” The loss of personal property should not take priority over the loss of life. We call for the end of police brutality and provocation, which incites violence leading to the loss of life and property. Disabled Hikers is very aware that up to half of Black people who are murdered by police have a disability, and that half of all Black people with a disability will be arrested by the time they reach their late 20’s. We are committed to continuing to amplify disabled Black voices, addressing ableism and racism, and working towards a more just and inclusive outdoor community in which all people are free. Signed, Syren Nagakyrie Founder, Disabled Hikers

Finding accessible trail information takes far too much time and energy. It’s often a major barrier for many disabled people who want to enjoy the outdoors. Disabled Hikers’ founder and director, Syren Nagakyrie, has spent years and countless hours researching and writing about trails to create resources for the disabled community. However, there is always a need for more trail guides, and the Disabled Hikers team is small! As we continue to grow our capacity, we’re sharing an overview of the process Disabled Hikers uses to find accessible trail information. We hope this helps with finding the best trails for you – though, even with the best preparation, hoping for the best is still a big part of the process! Start with guidebooks If you have access to a guidebook that features the trail you’re researching, start there. Make notes of anything you want to review. Beyond the The Disabled Hiker’s Guides, guidebooks rarely provide the level of information about accessibility needed. However, the can offer a starting point. Search the land manager’s website Use the land manager’s website (such as the national forest, national park, or state park page) to search for trail or park details. Note contact information, look for accessibility information, and download a map. Again, there is almost never complete information from a single source, so more research is needed. Research other blogs or websites Search for other blogs or websites that have written about the trail. Check trail association websites first, followed by hiker blogs, local news websites, tourism sites, and work party postings. Google image search the trail Use Google image to search the physical features of the trail. Check for anything that may show design, conditions, amenities, etc. Look for any features that are essential for you – for example, benches on the trail or a restroom at the trailhead. Also check street view and satellite images. Check trail apps for details Use trail apps to find details such as elevation profiles and topographic maps. Also check the reviews for key details that may be missing from the general information. (After your hike, it’s also helpful to go back and leave your own review that includes information you wished you had known before you started. The reviews often end up being one of the most important resources for Disabled Hikers staff in determining whether the trail is a good fit.) Call the land manager for current conditions Reach out to the land manager to get details about current conditions and to ask about accessibility. Try to speak with a ranger, recreation manager, and/or the designated accessibility contact. This step often involves a lot of educating. You may get details about another person to contact, as well. Hike the trail Go on the hike and hope for the best. Even with extensive research, it’s often the case that you’ll learn something new about the accessibility of (or lack thereof) the trail. This may mean turning back. Syren has found they have to abandon at least one third of the trails they start to hike. This is why resources like Disabled Hikers are so important! We hope this process helps you find more places to hike and experience nature in your area. Because the Disabled Hikers staff can’t be everywhere, we are developing a training program so more disabled folx can learn how to research and create trail guides in an accessible way. Please stay tuned for more details and let us know how this process works for you in the meantime.

Many content creators feel pressure to constantly produce new content. This pressure is artificially enforced by the nature of social media, forcing us to ‘stay relevant’ and always demonstrate how we are ‘earning our place’ at the table. The pressure is very real, and I believe that people are generally trying to do the best that they can. Thankfully, there is a lot of brilliance being shared online, and the internet has definitely shifted the tactics of social justice. However, the pressure to constantly produce combined with superficial diversity and inclusion efforts produces some toxic results. This often leads to information being co-opted and non- or differently- marginalized people receiving credit for work that is not theirs. This ultimately harms the people who are at the core of social change theory – who tend to be those most impacted, namely women of color, trans and queer people, and disabled people. What are ethical content creators to do? How can we make sure we are carrying our efforts for social justice into social media? Here are some tips for creating content that draws upon the work of social change thinkers, and for conscientiously sharing social media posts. In addition to these tips, your content should be accessible to people who are disabled. Questions to ask yourself when creating content: 1. Whose work is this? Who are my sources? Who did I learn this information from? 2. If I am creating content directly from someone else’s work, am I giving appropriate credit? Does my name appear in equal emphasis with theirs? Could it be construed as my original content? 3. How will I benefit from posting this? How is it going to contribute to my own social capital? 4. How can I make sure the focus is on the person/people I learned this from? We are constantly learning and gathering information from each other, to the point that sometimes it can be impossible to know where our own thoughts begin and end. But to the extent that you are able, you should always recognize those that you learn from. If someone has inspired the content you are creating, it is important to mention them. Recognize the person as the source of your inspiration and thank them for their work. Recommend that others follow them as well. If your content comes directly from someone else’s work, you must credit your sources. People often fail to do this on the internet, so information becomes generalized and loses its context, often to the detriment of social change. Contact the source and ask permission to use their work whenever possible. If you do not know the source, research it. Try searching a specific phrase or keywords from the information. We are all going to miss crediting someone at some point; be open to people correcting you. Do the best you can. Giving appropriate credit also means limiting the ways that the information could mistakenly be construed as your own. For example, pay attention to how you are positioning the original source’s name on graphics. Their name should be positioned in a font size and style large enough to be easily recognizable. Your own name, if it is included, should be less easily recognizable. Use their name and relevant social media handle; both should also be placed at the beginning of your caption. This is not to say you don’t deserve credit for creating the graphics – but emphasizing your own name can be construed as claiming credit for the information. Keep in mind whose labor is actually being centered in the content. Most people post to social media for some kind of benefit – connecting with others, gaining respect, establishing expertise, or just knowing that people like what they have to say. Social media is built on creating social capital, and I’m not blaming anyone for participating. But we need to be careful about how we use other people’s labor to our own benefit. Consider whether you are the right person to post this information, and whether the social capital you gain from it could be used by the original source. It may be better to take the content you created and give it to them to use (and then repost it from their account). Again, I suggest contacting the original source to ask what they prefer. Once you post the content, it is important to make sure the focus remains on the original source. No matter our best intentions, some people will inevitably misconstrue the information or repost it without proper credit. It is your responsibility to correct them. When people personally compliment you for the content, suggest that the compliments go towards the original source. Share how you are going to use what you learned moving forward. Provide links to more of their work so that people can also continue to learn. When reposting social media content, do the following: 1. Share from the original account. Popular posts get shared and reshared so many times that the original creator loses all credit. If they are mentioned in the repost, go to their account, or search their name if it is on a graphic. 2. Do a quick scan of comments if you’re able, to check for comments from the creator or anyone calling attention to problems with the attribution (or lack thereof). 3. Directly link to the creator’s social media account. 4. Do not use their content to promote your own work, website, or social media presence. With some care and mindfulness, we can use social media to actually make a difference in the world, and share the perspectives of people who are often ignored. Reactively creating and sharing content without some thoughtfulness tends to work against that goal. Hopefully these tips provide a starting point for more ethical content creation.

The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: Outdoor Adventures Accessible by Car, Wheelchair, and Foot, published by FalconGuides, is now available! Order Now! The Disabled Hiker’s Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and on foot by Syren Nagakyrie is the first book of its kind to consider a variety of access needs in the outdoors. The book removes one of the barriers to access — a lack of information – by utilizing a rating system and detailed trail information designed for the disability community. This groundbreaking guidebook features 60 outdoor adventures, including scenic drives, verified wheelchair accessible trails, and foot trails suitable for disabled hikers. Each trail is personally assessed according to Syren’s skilled review and established accessibility guidelines. Each entry provides detailed descriptions and driving directions, including public transit options when available. Detailed maps are provided for every trail, and the book features 100s of color photos. It also contains additional hiking tips, resources, and Native land acknowledgments. This flagship book is the first of it’s kind, with many more to come. The Disabled Hiker’s Guide is a dream for the future, when access to the outdoors is possible for everyone. It is manifested after an intense two year labor of love, and written during some of the most challenging circumstances. It is my hope that it opens the way for anyone who has felt excluded from hiking, particularly Disabled and chronically ill communities. The book is available everywhere books are sold. Use the Order Now link above to order a signed copy directly from Syren! Stay up-to-date on this and future projects by joining the Patreon page to receive behind the scenes updates while also supporting the work!