Take a tour of ten national parks in this overview of the ways in which they can be accessed by those with physical, sensory and learning limitations and their companions.
The National Parks of the U.S. are some of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world. But a visit to any one of them may seem daunting to someone with hearing, seeing, or other physical challenges. What many may not know is that the National Parks offer help to those with access needs. Here, Simon Hayhoe takes readers on a tour of ten National Parks and the accessibility options available to visitors and their companions.
He covers three regions of national parks in the east, center and west of the US. The eastern parks include Acadia National Park in Maine, the Everglades National Park in Florida and the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The central parks include Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Yellowstone National Park, which is mostly in Wyoming and Zion National Park in Utah. The western parks include Denali National Park in Alaska, Olympic National Park in Washington State and Yosemite National Park in California.
Knowing how and where to tap into access points is the first step on your journey. So come along, and let this work guide you.
Industry Reviews
As a father who's traveled with his disabled daughter Kellisa to 33 national parks, including 8 of the 10 featured in Accessible Vacations, I can appreciate the amount of research conducted by the author to create this guide. This book is not only an excellent starting point in planning a trip, but it also imparts inspiration and motivation to those who may not realize the national parks are open for everyone. Disability academician and educator Hayhoe turns his research to national parks, including Acadia National Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. Initial chapters skew academic, covering research and surveying methods and the history of the National Park Service through the lens of access and inclusion. Remaining chapters focus on 10 continental U.S. parks. Each begins with an overview of geography, climate, and animal life, followed by getting around lodges and campgrounds, medical facilities, tours, and specialized accessibility features. The book draws upon information from surveys, brochures, and park websites, as well as in-person visits. Readers are reminded to call to confirm details or to request specific accommodations. Suggestions on using technology to enhance accessibility options are helpful. Readers will find reassuring information on park access choices. This useful book encourages a "can do" mindset when researching travel destinations. Hayhoe is a researcher who writes about disability-related issues, including the financial and physical hurdles many persons with disabilities face when planning vacations. This book, featuring destinations within the United States, goes into great detail to showcase the facilities that are accessible. He discusses programs and tours with a focus toward national parks and campgrounds as well as historic sites such as Gettysburg. He begins by offering an overview of the National Park Service and the planning that went into NPS design, facilities, and programs. He then discusses accessible technologies that are available in some of the places he has included before going into the main entries on each area. Within each chapter, there are helpful hints, links, and other important information to help those with disabilities plan a trip. Overall, this is a comprehensive resource for travelers with accessibility needs that could be used as a springboard when considering trips to the sites outside of this book as well. Just in time for planning summer excursions, Rowman & Littlefield has published Accessible Vacations: An Insider's Guide to 10 National Parks by Simon Hayhoe. An adviser for the World Health Organization who writes about disability-related issues, Hayhoe takes those with physical, sensory, and learning limitations and their companions on a tour of 10 national parks, including Acadia, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and Denali. The book details the accessibility options available and provides helpful hints, links, and other important historical, geographical, and geological information to make visiting each park easier. The information can also be helpful when planning trips to sites other than those featured in the book. Simon Hayhoe takes us on a multisensory nature adventure through world-renowned US national parks with the aim of making the farthest away and out of reach places accessible. From "The Last Frontier" in Alaska to the Rocky Mountain visitor service desk at wheelchair eye level, his riveting verbal descriptions combined with detailed practical information make experiencing nature in all its diversity a call not just to the fittest, but to everyone. Hayhoe provides important practical, historical, geographical, and geological information through the lens of his extensive knowledge in the field of accessibility. Whether you identify as a person with access needs yourself, have a relative or friend who does, or are in the field of park, museum, or educational accessibility, this book provides an overview of the history and current practices of US parks commitment to universal design and access, outlines steps to make these trips possible, and satisfies what may be a dormant longing for nature.
