Tennessee parks expand accessibility with all-terrain wheelchairs, changing tables
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Alaina Hood. Photo illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Chrissy Hood
Welcome to Day 2 of Tennessee Trailheads: This week, each edition of Axios Nashville will explore a different aspect of the parks where we picnic and play.
- Subscribe to Axios Nashville here for the next installment.
It's not unusual for Chrissy Hood to walk into a bathroom and cry when she sees an adult changing table mounted on the wall.
Why it matters: Hood's 22-year-old daughter Alaina has autism, cerebral palsy and other conditions caused by a rare genetic syndrome.
- Adult changing tables are a necessity for her, and for the Hood family, they have become symbols of independence and dignity.
"Everyone deserves dignity," Hood says.
- When Hood sees a changing table, she says, she knows "I'm not having to lay my daughter down on that dirty, filthy restroom floor and change her."
The big picture: Parks officials are working on parallel tracks to boost accessibility under the Access 2030 initiative, which aims to make Tennessee's parks the most accessible in the country. Changes are rolling out quickly.
- Earlier this year, Tennessee State Parks hired Ryan Jolley as its first-ever accessibility coordinator to oversee the ongoing projects.
What she's saying: Hood works for the advocacy group Family Voices of Tennessee and serves on the state's Council on Developmental Disabilities, giving her a bird's-eye view of efforts to improve access to state parks.
- "What we are doing with our state parks and accessibility has really put Tennessee on the map in a very positive way," she says. "Tennessee is leading the way."
State of play: Tennessee state parks have added adult changing tables at a rapid clip. Each new location represents a new opportunity for Alaina and her family.
- "We're getting to get out and see parts of our state we've never seen, and we're getting to experience our parks and nature," Hood tells Axios.
- "She's out getting to experience life."
Zoom out: Also new at multiple state parks are all-terrain wheelchairs that can navigate trails and give people access to vistas they might have otherwise missed.
- Some parks have also added wheelchair-accessible canoe and kayak launches.
- Others have installed special viewfinders that can help people who are colorblind experience the vibrance of fall leaves.
By the numbers: The state's fleet now includes more than 60 all-terrain wheelchairs.
- Hood remembers seeing one of the wheelchairs charging during a recent visit to Red Clay State Historic Park.
- "I was so excited, because the tires were dirty, and that means it's being used," she says.
Reality check: Thirty-five years after the Americans with Disabilities Act passed, barriers are common. Inclusive playgrounds that accommodate children of different abilities, for instance, can be hard to find.
"There's no rose-colored glasses on, that's for sure," Jolley says of the work that still needs to be done.
- He notes that plenty of older buildings and infrastructure across the state's park system are not up to date.
- Teams conduct assessments to prioritize needs and create improvement schedules.
The bottom line: Jolley, who is legally blind, tells Axios his job is to listen to Tennessee residents, identify persisting parks problems and push new measures to solve them.
- "It's not just the right thing to do; it's a proactive way to keep Tennessee's population healthy — mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually," he says.
- "These parks belong to every Tennessean."
More information about accessibility measures in Tennessee state parks