It’s more than a walk on the wild side that’s at play when people with mobility issues are kept from enjoying one of the things Alachua County boasts about so much – the great outdoors surrounding us.
There’s no question that we’ve got bragging rights about our parks, preserves and trails, but shouldn’t all of us be able to get to experience it in some fashion? Recently, the Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) and the Florida Trail Association (FTA) held a special event at Prairie Creek Lodge to show just how accessible our trails can be.
The ACT introduced its EcoRover, an all-terrain battery-powered tracked wheelchair that can be operated autonomously by the rider or by a companion maneuvering an independent joystick. It can make its way through sand, gravel, dirt, mud, mulch, grass and even snow, although the latter is not a concern in Florida.
FTA showed off its Joëlette, a French-made all-terrain wheelchair with a single wheel, which allows any person with a disability to go hiking with the help of at least two guides.
On that day, everyone was having fun, as many of those present got a taste of new ways to take a walk in the park.
Deborah Thompson, 67, was one of those trying out the FTA’s Joëlette. A native Floridian, Thompson loves the outdoors. She grew up hiking and was a marathon runner. She even liked to go snowshoeing when she spent time out West in the snow.
No longer. Those days disappeared when Thompson suffered a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. But now with innovations like the Joëlette, that’s changing.
“I can hardly walk anymore and this allows me to go out and see and just be in nature. … I am so excited to have this opportunity and to get out. I have not done this trail before,” Thompson said.
Jeff Glenn, FTA senior regional trail program manager, was one of those acting as a sherpa for Thompson and was almost as excited as she was.
“A lot of times, physical accessibility is often overlooked,” said Glenn. “In our push to make the outdoors accessible for everybody, we are focused on the Florida Trail, where 80% of our population lives within an hour of it.”
Elizabeth Byrd, 62, couldn’t agree more. Byrd has spina bifida but still gets around quite well on a rollator – even on occasion a hand bicycle that she uses for extra sport.
“I grew up in a time when adaptive trails, anything adaptive for people with disabilities just wasn’t thought about,” she said. “In the last 10 years or so, the pace has picked up for inclusive recreation. There are more devices, they make the trails wider, there is more thought with bridges and parking lots. I’m older, so I am at the tail end of improvements. But for younger people, it’s opening the doors wide for inclusive recreation.”
It was Byrd who first alerted Mainstreet to the Paynes Prairie event, where the Joëlette and the EcoRover were not just on display but there for people to try out and get a sense of what using either of the two devices would be like for trail exploration.
Aileen Phillips, 58, who says she has a myriad of physical limitations, was out for the day with her family and took the five-speed EcoRover for a spin. She loved it and described it as riding a tank – which it does resemble. Her family followed along behind her, but Phillips was on a roll.
“I stayed slow and kept my speed at the two or three level,” she said. “But it was so easy to maneuver and it turns on a dime. I could see paths in the woods where people had done donuts, so of course I had to do one.”
Danny Rohan, ACT preserve manager, said the organization learned about the EcoRover at a statewide event as the organization began to explore ways “to help more people get into nature, especially people with various degrees of disabilities.
“I have never had challenges, and I find wonder and beauty and health, but that’s not true for everyone,” Rohan said. “I took a step back and said, ‘Wow, this is not fair. So, what are some ways we can help?’”
ACT launched its EcoRover program in December 2024 after purchasing one chair with funds from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center. They are hoping to get support for the purchase of more of the all-terrain wheelchairs in the future. The EcoRover chair is made in Florida.
For now, people can sign up online to access the EcoRover and follow the steps so that it can be brought to them by ACT staff. It can be used only at Prairie Creek Preserve, Orange Lake Overlook or Tuscawilla. There is no charge.
FTA uses the Joëlette for its FTAcess program that aims to provide hiking experiences to those who would not be able to hike on their own.
“The Florida Trail showcases the natural, cultural, and historic beauty of the state. Everybody must get to see it, and everybody means everybody,” Glenn said.
Once again, arrangements must be made ahead of time, but there is no fee to use the EcoRover.
But there are more outdoor accessibility efforts ongoing with funding from Alachua County’s Wild Spaces & Public Places (WSPP) voter-approved sales surtax. About $10 million was collected last year in the program that is approved to run through Dec. 31, 2032.
Betsy Waite, WSPP director, said the program is all about accessibility so that more people can get out and use what Gainesville and Alachua County offer.
“We are prioritizing universal access,” Waite said. “A lot of what we are doing is creating accessible pathways through parks, concrete sidewalks, accessible ramps and just making sure people can maneuver through a park and get to all the amenities.”
Sweetwater Wetlands Park on Williston Road is now the owner of a 10-passenger electric tram, purchased with WSPP funds, that provides free, accessible tours of the grounds for people with mobility issues.
Anyone who has visited the park, with its 125 acres of wetlands and ponds, knows how beautiful it is, but also how grueling an outing can be because of the intensity of the Florida sun. Those who are able can walk through 3.5 miles of trails on crushed gravel and boardwalk.
The park got the tram about two years ago, according to Jane Cummings, Nature Center Education supervisor for Gainesville’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
“The tram is covered and has a ramp for wheelchair access and a cordless microphone system so passengers can hear the driver,” Cummings said of the hour-long tour. “What the tram allows is for people who can’t do the walk because of mobility concerns to still get out and enjoy the park. It’s not a condensed tour. You get to see all areas of the park and to see what makes the park unique.”
The tours are available at 10 a.m. on Mondays and 2 p.m. on Fridays. You can also book a tour ahead of time or make a group reservation by calling the ranger station at 352-554-5871.
Waite said WSPP is currently working on a master plan for Morningside Nature Center on the east side of Gainesville “to make it a universally accessible park, at least for the core area where activities are centered.”
But Waite reminds us that accessibility is not just a concern for the aging. She said one of her favorite accessibility projects has been the redo of the Albert Ray Massey (Westside) Park at 1001 NW 34th St.
“Think about the children who have different physical needs,” she said. “We were very cognizant of the equipment we chose. The elements that went into that park make it a lot more accessible than most playgrounds.”
But wait, there’s more. Accessibility is not just an outdoor issue for WSPP. Downtown Gainesville’s iconic Hippodrome Theatre has been suffering from accessibility issues since its historic hand-operated elevator broke down in December 2023.
It’s been a problem because the theater’s main venue is on the second floor and requires a hike up a steep set of stairs, not something everyone can do. The Hippodrome coped by staging some performances in a smaller downstairs venue, but now things are looking up.
WSPP is funding the elevator repair, which began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by July. Waite said since the city owns the building and it falls under the cultural aspect of city life, WSPP was able to fund the repair.
“Everyone loves going to the upstairs theater,” Waite said. “It’s such a wonderful space. It’s intimate and we need to be able to provide access to the second floor.”
Editor’s note: This is the latest story in Mainstreet’s award-winning Aging Matters series. It was independently reported by Ronnie Lovler and underwritten by Elder Options.