Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails Part II

This online engineering PDH interactive presentation provides an updated version of the original “Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails”.

Accessibility always is more difficult and costly to implement as an afterthought. When recreation professionals understand what is needed, accessibility becomes integrated into the thinking, planning, designing, construction, and maintenance of every project from the beginning. In line with the Forest Service direction, this presentation aims at helping designers and managers apply Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines (FSORAG) and Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG) to their work and to provide guidance for integrating accessibility into the start of outdoor recreation site and trail projects.

This presentation begins with means of applying the forest service outdoor recreation accessibility guidelines and exploring conditions for an exception in FSORAG. The presentation also discusses outdoor recreation access routes including surfaces, slopes, resting intervals, clear tread width, passing spaces, tread obstacles, openings, protruding objects, gates, and barriers for these routes. It continues to discuss the means to provide comforts and conveniences through constructed features such as grab bars. The presentation also explores the recreation site layout including vehicle parking, camping units, picnic units, viewing units, and the use of the international symbol of accessibility and other signs. It continues to discuss constructed features in recreation sites including picnic tables, fire rings, grills, fireplaces, wood stoves, tent pads and platforms. It also explores other constructed features such as benches, essential containers, telescopes, utilities, water hydrants, outdoor rinsing showers, and utility sinks. The presentation continues to explore the buildings in recreation sites including camp shelters, toilet buildings, and pit toilets. It also discusses beach access routes including exceptions to guidelines, surface, clear tread width, slopes, resting intervals, tread obstacles, openings, protruding objects, elevated dune crossings, and gates and barriers on these routes. The presentation continues to explore means of applying the forest service trails accessibility guidelines by discussing trail terminology, trail construction techniques, conditions for an exception in FSTAG, general exceptions, and documentation of exceptions. It also discusses the technical requirements for accessible hiker/pedestrian trails including surfaces, clear tread width, trail slopes, resting intervals, passing spaces, tread obstacles, protruding objects, openings, facilities, gates, and barriers on trails, as well as trailheads and their signs. Finally, the presentation ends by exploring the FSTAG 4-step Implementation Process.

This 5 PDH online interactive presentation is applicable to Forest Service employees and their partners, designers, managers, recreation professionals, and technical staff who are interested in ensuring inclusive outdoor recreation opportunities.