Tennessee State Parks are beautiful places where nature remains unspoiled, historic sites are preserved, and the scenery is often breathtaking. Over thirty million people visit Tennessee State Parks every year to enjoy these magnificent places. Unfortunately, not everyone can easily enjoy our parks. Unintentional, yet real, barriers prevent people from experiencing what these special places have to offer. If Tennessee State Parks are to serve all Tennesseans, we must identify and eliminate barriers.
In an effort to identify and eliminate these barriers, Tennessee State Parks launched various programs, specifically:
• The adoption of the Tennessee State Parks ADA Transition Plan, outlining our mission and providing guidance on the identification of barriers, removal of said barriers, and the continued re-assessment of our parks.
• Facilitating round table discussions with other general government agencies and non-governmental partners to aide in the identification of physical barriers and explore new and upcoming technologies aiding visitors’ experiences.
• Launching the new Access 2030 program, with the goal of Tennessee having the most accessible state park system in the nation by 2030.
The Access 2030 program is led by a steering committee with representation from multiple state agencies: Department of Environment and Conservation, Department of General Services, Department of Health, Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Council on Developmental Disabilities. These members serve as coaches, consultants, and advocates to assist Tennessee State Parks in meeting our goal and mission of being the most accessible state park system in the nation by 2030.
The Access 2030 program contains seven focus areas designed to identify and eliminate various forms of barriers. Below is a brief overview highlighting each focus area:
Park Accessibility addresses physical barriers. This focus area identifies ADA compliance as our foundation and seeks to build upon it. The goal is to make all Tennessee State Parks more accessible to persons with disabilities.
Model Park will identify one State Park to implement accessibility improvements and serve as the model to implement statewide. Henry Horton State Park will be a place where everyone can stay and play, becoming an ambassador for all future accessibility projects. This Park can also serve as a learning laboratory for new accessibility ideas.
Telling Full Stories is an effort to break down the barrier of exclusivity. Sometimes stories, particularly at historic sites, are told from a single perspective. This focus area will seek to ensure that all historical perspectives are shared and represented in park stories.
Bureau Diversity is also included in Access 2030 because with diversity brings new perspectives and ideas. In order to better represent all visitors to Tennessee State Parks, this focus area will further efforts to date to diversify our workforce.
Seasonal Interpretative Ranger (SIR) Diversity is a special initiative designed to increase diversity in the parks’ SIR program. SIRs are young people working in parks during the summer who often choose a park career when they finish school. As a “feeder” program, increasing diversity within our SIR program will lead to more diverse park staff.
Programming focuses on partnering with schools to get students into parks and natural areas. This program eliminates barriers such as limited curriculum and lack of transportation so that students who may have never been to a park will be able to have an experience with nature.
WOW Moments will utilize technology allowing people to experience remarkable moments within our parks. Virtual reality and augmented reality will transport people to places and times they could not otherwise go.
Making our parks more accessible and inclusive to our visitors is the next great opportunity for Tennessee State Parks. With the help of committee members, state agencies, and non-governmental organization partners, each visitor, regardless of ability, will be able to experience Tennessee State Parks in their own way. The diversity of people who want to get outside is growing and growing, don’t count anyone out. The outdoors is for everyone.