Traversing Indiana State Parks will soon be a little easier for people who use wheelchairs, thanks to 45 new track chairs.
Track chairs are electric-powered wheelchairs that can navigate all types of terrain.
Indiana already had about a dozen track chairs sprinkled throughout the system of State Parks. However, the Lilly Endowment recently funded the purchase of the new chairs, thanks to $1 million in funding.
Hoosiers like Jeremy Warriner will benefit from these chairs.
"Before I lost my legs, which was in a car accident, I was a backpacker. I have a family that loves to get out into nature," Warriner shared.
Warriner went on to say that he hasn't enjoyed State Parks to the fullest in the 20 years following the car crash.
"Our guests tell us that hiking is the most popular park activity, but unfortunately, our friends with mobility limitations frequently cannot experience the joys of our amazing trails," said Indiana DNR Director Alan Morrison.
"The opportunity to get back to places like Turkey Run, McCormick's Creek, Shades State Park, all of those different places, it'll be fantastic to be able to do," Warriner said after testing one of the track chairs.
There will be at least one track chair located at each State Park and State Inn.
Chairs will be available to park visitors, both kids and adults, free of charge. Parks will take reservations for the chairs over the phone.
Staff at each State Park are learning how to use the track chairs, so they can give tutorials to park guests before they get out on the trail.
"Not every wheelchair is the same. Nor every situation is the same," said Tony Chase, an assistant professor of Occupational Therapy at IU Indianapolis.
Chase is also the director of a program called Skills on Wheels, which teaches kids how to navigate their community in wheelchairs.
The training that State Park staff is receiving will be great help for wheelchair users, according to Chase.
"The lack of that confidence and those abilities tends to impact their willingness or interest in participating in things," Chase explained.
"Our Indiana State Park system now leads the nation in accessibility with more track chairs available at our State Parks than any other park system in the country," shared Morrison.
"We look at community mobility as some massive investment, where we're reformatting everything we're doing, and tons of money and resources that we don't have, but I think that in our spaces we all have the ability to find little ways to make our spaces and our spheres of influence more accessible," Chase said.
"Many of us tell ourselves these lies when we acquire disabilities that we're not going to be able to do those things again," Warriner said. "As technology improves and we maintain our health, all of these things open back up."
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