Avalonia Land Conservancy welcomes all people, regardless of disability, to its beautiful properties. Trails include a wide variety of conditions, ranging from fairly level in slope to steep; from over three feet wide to narrow and twisting; from somewhat compacted to studded with roots and rocks. Individual trails may display numerous of these conditions.
As with anyone else, individuals with disabilities will find some trails too arduous and others more compatible with their movement style and abilities. At this point, Avalonia does not own a property that offers a high degree of trail accessibility to people who use mobility equipment or require trail accessibility for other than mobility reasons. An effort is underway, however, to examine all properties for accessibility potential and begin the process of providing, when feasible and affordable, increased access through creation of new trails and modification of existing ones.
We invite people with disabilities to participate in our efforts to create greater accessibility on our properties, on our website, and in our programs. To that end, we are in the process of establishing liaisons with disability-related organizations in eastern Connecticut. To find out more about how you may participate in these collaborative efforts, please contact the office at info@avaloniac.org or 860-884-3500. People with all different disabilities are invited to participate.
Want to learn more about trail accessibility? Two good online resources are:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Accessibility-Guide-Book.pdf
https://www.access-board.gov/files/aba/guides/outdoor-guide.pdf
Although these documents are based on federal laws that technically apply to federal lands – there is currently no ADA counterpart – they are increasingly used by states, local governments, and private nonprofits to evaluate properties, create greater accessibility, and meet the ADA’s standard of equal opportunity.
If you or someone you know, for reason of disability, would like this document or other Avalonia documents in alternative format (or need a service, such as sign language interpretation, for a program) please submit your request to the office at info@avaloniac.org or 860-884-3500. Every effort will be made to fulfill requests within a reasonable time window and within the financial capacity of the organization.