“That’s why you camp here”: An experiential analysis of access and inclusion in BC parks

It is well established in the literature that nature can provide a host of benefits to human health and wellbeing. However, access to outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism spaces remains inequitable, as park planning and management processes have not prioritized access and inclusion for all. Many studies have documented an overwhelming presence of physical, attitudinal, and informational barriers to accessing nature for persons with disability (PwD). These studies highlight an overwhelming presence of physical barriers and a lack of reliable and comprehensive accessibility information essential to enabling efficient trip planning processes. This research draws on the knowledge and lived experiences of a small group of people living with diverse impairments, in outdoor settings. Field observations utilizing a photovoice methodology and reflective journals were used to document interactions of PwD with (in)accessible nature spaces in two BC Parks regions. A thematic analysis of this data uncovered three emergent themes related to access and inclusion: the importance of access the key features, the availability of cognitive space to fully embody experiences, and information delivery on and off site. Findings from the project demonstrate how BC provincial parks might be experienced by individuals with a range of embodiments in nature. Place-based narratives using creative analytic practice weave the experiences of PwD in this research and objective standards data (e.g., measurements of infrastructure) to produce a diverse type of information that can enable trip planning processes for PwD.