Preliminary Research
Our team spent the first few months of 2020 doing preliminary research on trail accessibility in Lane County and the surrounding areas. In this stage of research we worked with Eugene, Cascades & Coast to identify trails that could benefit from further assessment. We worked collaboratively to gather better data on these trails and create site profiles. Our team also reviewed Access Board standards, reviewed literature pertaining to outdoor inclusivity, and sought input from disability rights advocates. This was done in order to create a comprehensive trail assessment checklist, which can be found under the "Our Work" section of this site. We also looked at best practices for analyzing trail characteristics in order to better prepare for the work we had intended to do Spring 2020 before COVID-19 forced a change of plans. While the scope of our work did end up changing in the Spring, our preliminary research still benefitted us by allowing us to gain a better understanding of trail systems in Lane County, build a relationship with community partners, and have a better idea of accessibility standards in the outdoors.