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Axios
9 hours ago
- General
- Axios
Tennessee parks expand accessibility with all-terrain wheelchairs, changing tables
Welcome to Day 2 of Tennessee Trailheads: This week, each edition of Axios Nashville will explore a different aspect of the parks where we picnic and play. Subscribe to Axios Nashville here for the next installment. It's not unusual for Chrissy Hood to walk into a bathroom and cry when she sees an adult changing table mounted on the wall. Why it matters: Hood's 22-year-old daughter Alaina has autism, cerebral palsy and other conditions caused by a rare genetic syndrome. Adult changing tables are a necessity for her, and for the Hood family, they have become symbols of independence and dignity. "Everyone deserves dignity," Hood says. When Hood sees a changing table, she says, she knows "I'm not having to lay my daughter down on that dirty, filthy restroom floor and change her." The big picture: Parks officials are working on parallel tracks to boost accessibility under the Access 2030 initiative, which aims to make Tennessee's parks the most accessible in the country. Changes are rolling out quickly. Earlier this year, Tennessee State Parks hired Ryan Jolley as its first-ever accessibility coordinator to oversee the ongoing projects. What she's saying: Hood works for the advocacy group Family Voices of Tennessee and serves on the state's Council on Developmental Disabilities, giving her a bird's-eye view of efforts to improve access to state parks. "What we are doing with our state parks and accessibility has really put Tennessee on the map in a very positive way," she says. "Tennessee is leading the way." State of play: Tennessee state parks have added adult changing tables at a rapid clip. Each new location represents a new opportunity for Alaina and her family. "We're getting to get out and see parts of our state we've never seen, and we're getting to experience our parks and nature," Hood tells Axios. "She's out getting to experience life." Zoom out: Also new at multiple state parks are all-terrain wheelchairs that can navigate trails and give people access to vistas they might have otherwise missed. Some parks have also added wheelchair-accessible canoe and kayak launches. Others have installed special viewfinders that can help people who are colorblind experience the vibrance of fall leaves. By the numbers: The state's fleet now includes more than 60 all-terrain wheelchairs. Hood remembers seeing one of the wheelchairs charging during a recent visit to Red Clay State Historic Park. "I was so excited, because the tires were dirty, and that means it's being used," she says. Reality check: Thirty-five years after the Americans with Disabilities Act passed, barriers are common. Inclusive playgrounds that accommodate children of different abilities, for instance, can be hard to find. "There's no rose-colored glasses on, that's for sure," Jolley says of the work that still needs to be done. He notes that plenty of older buildings and infrastructure across the state's park system are not up to date. Teams conduct assessments to prioritize needs and create improvement schedules. The bottom line: Jolley, who is legally blind, tells Axios his job is to listen to Tennessee residents, identify persisting parks problems and push new measures to solve them.
Axios
a day ago
- Axios
Tennessee governor bets big on state parks
Welcome to the first installment of Tennessee Trailheads: This week, each edition of Axios Nashville will explore a different aspect of the parks where we picnic and play. Tennessee state parks are in the midst of a historic growth spurt, with Gov. Bill Lee set to add a record 14 new locations to the roster before leaving office. Why it matters: Outdoor recreation has quietly emerged as one of the Lee administration's signature issues. Since becoming governor in 2019, Lee has launched a bevy of new projects aimed at elevating and expanding the park system. What he's saying: In an exclusive Axios interview earlier this year, Lee said he felt a duty to preserve Tennessee's lush natural landscape, including parks, rivers and farmland. "When you serve in this role, you think about what you hope lasts," he said. "We do have a duty to generations that will come. We have a duty to provide them with the same remarkable environment that we inherited. In fact, I believe we have a duty to improve that." Between the lines: He draws inspiration from his childhood visits to Fall Creek Falls and canoe rides down the Hiwassee River. The big picture: Lee wants to establish the most accessible park system in the country. "It's about making sure that regardless of your ZIP code, your physical ability, your demographics, that you have access to these parks," he said. The intrigue: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the matter: Visitors flocked to Tennessee parks and campgrounds in record numbers. Catch up quick: In 2021, Lee announced the Bill Dance Signature Lakes initiative, named after the famed fisherman, that will put millions toward improving 18 lakes across the state. The BlueWaysTN program is focused on the state's recreational waterways. Last year, Lee created the Office of Outdoor Recreation as a conservation hub. Earlier this month, the office dolled out $22 million in grants to support local park projects. Reality check: Environmental activists have blasted a series of government moves that they say chip away at environmental protections, including a 2025 state law that reduces oversight for wetland development. Yes, but: The state has poured millions of dollars into conservation projects during Lee's time in office. The latest state budget included $52 million to create five new state parks. Lee also pushed a plan to slow the development of Tennessee farmland, putting $25 million toward grants for farmers who preserve their land. Zoom in: Lee proposed $125 million this year to protect the Duck River, one of the nation's most endangered waterways. Lawmakers cut $35 million of that funding before passing the budget. Zoom out: Former Sen. Bill Frist, the global chair of The Nature Conservancy, recently praised Lee's focus on conservation, saying "investments in nature make a profound difference in the health and wellbeing of generations to come." The bottom line:"The more urban centers we have, and the more growth we have in the state, the more important it is that there is an opportunity for people to ... have access to wildlife and to waters and to forests," Lee said.
