The workshop "Barrier-free nature parks" is over

The House of Bohemian Switzerland in Krásná Lípa was one of the places we recently mapped and now it was the venue of another workshop. This time it was on the topic How to make the beauty of nature accessible to people with disabilities.

Jana Panáčková, the chairwoman of the Society for the Support of Handicapped Travel, welcomed everyone and introduced them to the programme.

The first lecturer Jakub Juda introduced the participants with a plan how to create elements for the handicapped on the "Kyjov valley through all senses" route. For example, a picnic table that can be easily reached with a wheelchair, or how to install viewing peepholes at interesting places, which must be adapted to wheelchair users sitting low.

Aleš Černohous, a very active wheelchair user, followed up with his contribution and described in detail the pitfalls that await people with disabilities in nature parks. He did not forget to mention the bridges across the road that drain the water. Wheelchair wheels often get stuck in them and the wheelchair user has to be rescued by someone who is able-bodied. The culverts should be regularly maintained, because if they are washed out, they cannot be driven over at all. Barriers are often a stumbling block. Walkers can get around them or simply climb them, but the wheelchair user has a problem.

The travellers Lída and Maruška Harcubova then talked about their experiences from visiting national parks around the world. They gave several examples from South Africa, America and Australia. Mostly all routes are accessible to wheelchair users, there is no lack of adapted paths and ramps, wheelchair users are simply thought of.

In the discussion, we all agreed on the importance of sharing as many photos from the field and as much detailed information about accessibility as possible on the official websites of the national parks.

Ing. Jan Skalka spoke about the award-winning project "Krkonoše without Barriers", whose main purpose was to show people with disabilities that even the harsher environment of the highest Czech mountains can be to some extent welcoming and accessible. The discussion focused on how to improve the barrier-free accessibility of already existing quite accessible places, such as the top of Sněžka.

Mrs. Elfi Kühnel from Germany showed in her presentation how they deal with accessibility of natural beauties for people with disabilities in the Zittauer Gebirge Nature Park.

All participants welcomed the opportunity to use the Disway Trails app, which was presented online by developer Tomáš Hluštík. People can find information about suitable trails for people with disabilities.

Maruška Harcubová