NINE YEARS AGO, I REIGNITED my childhood passion for nature. I started spending lots of time at local nature reserves in my home county of Shropshire, polishing my identification skills, taking photographs and meeting other wildlife enthusiasts. However, I always felt I was missing out when specialist activities, such as mammal workshops, were hosted at reserves that were futher afield, as I couldn\u2019t get there. I have mild cerebral palsy, dyspraxia and epilepsy, so I don\u2019t drive. It got me thinking about how people with disabilities \u2013 whether physical or learning \u2013 just don\u2019t have the same access to the countryside.<\/span><\/p>\n\n I started a campaign called All for Nature & Nature for All, and I\u2019ve spent the past five years speaking out about the issue and working with local charities on how to improve access both to green spaces and to conservation. I have had many interesting discussions about accessibility, but there has always been a common thread. The conversation will start by considering access for those with physical disabilities; learning disabilities are rarely mentioned. <\/p>\n\n In 2011, research by Defra and the Environment Agency showed that people with learning disabilities are in the minority of visitors to the countryside. In 2016, Mencap revealed that one in three adults between the ages of 18-35 with a learning disability spends less than one hour a day outside. <\/p>\n\n Given what we now know about the benefits of time spent in nature, these statistics are shocking. And even more so when you consider that, according to mental health charity Mind, people with a learning disability are more likely to experience mental health problems than the rest of the general population. <\/p>\n\n This inequality has been further highlighted as a result of Covid-19. While some people were easily able to access and explore the countryside during months of lockdown, others \u2013 many of whom may have had additional needs \u2013 were not, meaning they were far less equipped to deal with the mental burden of the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Fair and equal access to public open spaces is governed by law, as stated in the Equality Act 2010. Therefore, \u2018reasonable adjustment\u2019 must be made for green spaces to become accessible for all learningdisabled people. Nature is not a luxury; it is a necessity and a basic human right. Anyone with a learning disability should have the chance to experience the wild. <\/p>\n\n Yet there are many factors as to why this currently isn\u2019t the case. These include issues such as inaccessible facilities, financial constraints and transport problems \u2013 challenges that are heightened by the negatives attitudes those with learning disabilities can experience when accessing rural leisure activities. As if that wasn\u2019t enough, at the moment no standard set of guidelines for universal access exists. <\/p>\n\n The daily lives of individuals with a learning disability are governed by their circumstances. \u201cLearning disabled young adults are more likely to live in poorer neighbourhoods with poorer quality green spaces,\u201d says Nadia Von Benzo, a social geographer from the University of Lancaster. People with a learning disability are also more likely to be unemployed and incur additional costs for specialist equipment and care, meaning there is often precious little to spend on leisure. <\/p>\n\n \u201cLimited social support budgets mean that support staff are unable to take learning and physically disabled young people outside their homes,\u201d says Nadia. \u201cWhere disabled young people live in supported accommodation, budgets are so tight that there are often few staff available for trips out, or very few trips in the week. If they still live at home, lack of support to parents means that time when they might take the young person out and do \u2018fun, family things\u2019 is spent running the household and caring.\u201d <\/p>\n\n A great deal of work has been carried out in nature reserves and green spaces to make them more accessible to those with physical disabilities. Boardwalks and suitable paving have been laid, and cafes, hides and toilet facilities adapted \u2013 sometimes in the face of opposition from people who believe that such modifications will ruin the aesthetic of the landscape or have a negative impact on conservation. But little has been done to cater for those with learning disabilities. <\/p>\n\n Jane Stoneman, director of The Sensory Trust, a charity that promotes inclusive nature experiences, is an authority on inclusive design. \u201cAccess guidance tends to focus on designing for physical disability, particularly wheelchair use, and neglects those aspects that can increase accessibility for people with a learning disability,\u201d she says. \u201cStandards tend to focus on technical criteria, such as path widths and surfaces, and less on factors such as the \u2018legibility\u2019 of a space \u2013 which enables people to find their way around and understand what is on offer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n \u201cThe daily lives of individuals with a learning disability are governed by their circumstances\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n In green spaces, the concept of learning disabilities is still misunderstood. This isn\u2019t helped by a general lack of knowledge surrounding learning disabilities. In 2013, a study by University College London revealed that only one third of people were able to recognise a learning disability. On top of this, there is confusion between the definitions of learning disability and learning difficulty. <\/p>\n\n The broad definition of a learning disability, such as Down\u2019s syndrome, is that it affects intellectual ability and the capacity to carry out everyday activities \u2013 household tasks, socialising, managing money \u2013 and can affect someone for life. A learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, only affects how a person processes information \u2013 often manifesting in problems with literacy. It has no bearing on IQ. (Despite the definition of learning disability, we should never make assumptions. Like everyone else, individuals with learning disabilities are unique personalities. The term \u2018learning disability\u2019 covers a broad spectrum.) <\/p>\n\n It would, of course, be wrong to assume that all people with a learning disability experience negative attitudes in the countryside. Oliver Hellowell, a 25-year-old wildlife and landscape photographer based in Somerset, has Down\u2019s syndrome. He has had a passion for nature from an early age and has always been welcomed at his local reserves, with, according to his mother Wendy, staff \u201cgoing out of their way to give him access and allow him to do what he wants to do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Oliver\u2019s experience in nature has been extremely beneficial, not only for his health and wellbeing, but as a way to nurture his talent: he is the first person with Down\u2019s syndrome to have published a photography book and hopes to turn professional. He also won the National Diversity Award for UK Positive Role Model for Disability in 2015. <\/p>\n\n Oliver is fortunate to have had a lot of encouragement, yet for him to pursue his passion and potential career, he has needed additional support. \u201cTo take him exploring in the countryside, two people have always been pretty much a necessity,\u201d says Wendy. \u201cHis hyperactivity, his tendency to run off, and his lack of understanding of the concepts of danger and being lost made him quite a handful to manage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n \u201cAccess guidance tends to focus on designing for physical disability and neglects learning disability\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n NADIA VON BENZO, SOCIAL GEOGRAPHER, UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER <\/strong><\/p>\n\n Out-of-the-box thinking is needed when it comes to designing nature reserves to make them more accessible, or when developing wildlife activities for people with learning disabilities. It\u2019s not about ramps or toilets \u2013 it\u2019s about making people feel welcome. There are plenty of solutions, many of which are far less intrusive than physical access measures. Accessible signage, both tactile and written in Makaton (sign language), can make a site much easier to navigate, at a tiny cost and with minimum intrusion. These sorts of simple ideas can help young families, people with profound multiple learning difficulties, and individuals with conditions such as dementia to engage and interact with nature. <\/p>\n\n The Sensory Trust has proved that this can be done \u2013 and with great success \u2013 through their work at the Eden Project, Cornwall. \u201cWe wanted to make Eden a place where people with a learning disability would feel welcome,\u201d explains Jane. \u201cWe spent time with people with learning disabilities, and they talked to us about the importance of symbol languages. So, we integrated Widgit (see below) <\/em>into the interpretation throughout the site and made it part of the overall experience \u2013 and we\u2019ve had a great response. Families have loved seeing the symbols. The poignant thing they said was \u2018it meant that you expected us to be there\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Other simple ideas are making a huge difference. Many people with learning disabilities can\u2019t drive, for instance, with access to wilder sites limited by lack of public transport. Life Cycle UK, a Bristolbased charity that promotes cycling, has created an initiative known as Two\u2019s Company, which provides tandem rides for anyone not confident enough on a bicycle to get out and about in nature. <\/p>\n\n \u201cWe offer anyone who is visually impaired or disabled the chance to experience the joys and freedoms of cycling,\u201d says inclusive cycling manager Viv Maginnis. \u201cWe enjoy riding out of the city to enjoy the sounds and smells of the countryside.\u201d <\/p>\n\n This fantastic initiative in turn is opening up even more roads to nature engagement \u2013 quite literally. Bat-detecting tandem rides, for example, have taken place in and around local woodlands. Forest school leader Rachel Tomlinson, who runs sessions for adults with learning disabilities, has accompanied these rides. \u201cPeople say that being in nature helps them to feel more connected to the wider world,\u201d she says. \u201cThere certainly seems a relaxed and calm atmosphere within our groups when we are outdoors.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Technology is another solution, and we need to embrace and invest in new equipment. At my local reserve, after my recommendation, Shropshire Wildlife Trust are trialling supplying headsets with audio recordings to help those with both physical and learning disabilities to appreciate and immerse themselves in their surroundings. <\/p>\n\n David Attenborough\u2019s documentaries may inspire us all to get out and explore more of the wild world, but for many learning-disabled people, the armchair is as close to the natural world as they will get. And given the wildlife declines currently sweeping Britain, surely we should enable people of all abilities to be involved with nature and its preservation? Nature doesn\u2019t discriminate; neither should we. <\/p>\n\n Widget, here in use at the Eden Project, is a symbol-based language that is used as an alternative to text or alongside it. These symbols help to communicate ideas quickly and simply. The Widget library currently contains 7,000 images covering a vocabulary of more than 20,000 words. <\/p>\n\n The following charities and organisations can offer support and advice: And to find out more about Oliver Hellowell\u2019s story and work, visit oliverhellowell.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/09\/ead323a3-b753-459c-b42c-ebe3018ff4d1.jpg\")
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\n\nIt\u2019s the symbol things <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\nFIND OUT MORE <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Enjoying nature with a learning disability <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
scope.org.uk<\/a>
sensorytrust.org.uk<\/a>
thrive.org.uk<\/a>
forestschoolassociation.org<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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