Breadcrumbs
Publications
A Sense of Freedom (2mb pdf) - Also available in Easy Read version (659kb pdf)
“A Sense of Freedom” is a collection of personal stories from disabled people, with a range of impairments, about their experiences in the natural environment.
Many share their passion for enjoying the natural environment, along with their frustrations and concerns about sometimes having limited access to green spaces. However, some do recognise the improvements that have been made since the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), and actively volunteer their time to help make improvements to disabled access.
The publication arose from the findings of the Countryside Agency’s Diversity Review, and subsequent work on Defra’s “Outdoors for All?” Diversity Action Plan, as some recreation providers said they lacked confidence in dealing with diverse customers.
We hope the publication will raise awareness amongst recreation providers, disabled people and their carers, about the social and health benefits that disabled people experience from accessing the natural environment, along with some of the barriers that they face.
These stories contribute to Natural England’s expanding evidence base on understanding how people engage with the natural environment; and supports Natural England’s objective to achieve more people enjoying, understanding and acting to improve the natural environment, more often.
Capturing Richness (3mb pdf)
In January 2003, the Countryside Agency commissioned the Black Environment Network and journalist Robin Brookes to create ‘Capturing Richness’. The purpose was to enable the stories held by the BEN to be recorded so that pleasure and inspiration people from the black and minority ethnic communities feel when they experience open space can be shared.
By All Reasonable Means: Inclusive access to the outdoors for disabled people
This document, published in October 2004 aims to provide clear and detailed advice for countryside managers on how to improve access opportunities for disabled people. The Sensory Trust were contracted to review, revise and redraft the text of the previous version to take an inclusive, pan-disability approach.
