Access to Service Inclusive Crew

Program Description

The Utah Conservation Corps (UCC) is starting its second year with the "Access to Service" inclusive crew program! Eight summer AmeriCorps members will again serve as UCC AmeriCorps members. Fifty percent of the crew will self-identify as having a physical disability. In 2007, disabilities among members included quadriplegia, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy.

Traditionally, the nature of UCC projects has required members to be in excellent physical condition, excluding potential corpsmembers with disabilities. Through the Access to Service program, projects have been carefully developed to include crew members with disabilities in a significant and meaningful way. "We do not want to have members with disabilities sitting on the sidelines while those without disabilities complete project tasks," says UCC Program Administrator, Kate Stephens. Crew members with disabilities are actively involved in all phases of the project, adding a valuable perspective.

The UCC's 2007 Access to Service inclusive crew focused their energy on two main project areas: accessibility evaluation surveys and transition plans for the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and the development of an accessible community demonstration garden.

What is a transition plan?

Since the 1968 passage of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), facilities designed, built, bought, rented, altered, or leased by, for, or on behalf of a federal agency are required to be accessible. Unfortunately, many federal facilities are still not accessible.

To correct this problem, in the early 1990s the Forest Service called for all units to complete transition plans identifying the changes needed to make each facility accessible and the timeline for completing the changes.

In 1998, under Public Law 105-359, Congress mandated an evaluation of accessibility to outdoor recreation on federally managed lands for both the United States Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior agencies. The results of the independent study that was published in June 2000 highlighted to Congress that many Forest Service and other federal agency units still had not completed their transition plans. The attention resulting from the report increased the pressure on federal agencies to get the plans completed. To keep units focused on completing this work, the Forest Service national budget direction each year since 2001 has included direction to the field to complete the transition plans.

An accessibility evaluation survey is the first step in developing a transition plan. During the survey, each portion of a structure is compared to the accessibility standards, and compliance and deficiencies are recorded. For example, doorways and paths of travel are measured to see whether they have at least 32 inches of clear width.

"The UCC's Access to Service inclusive crew has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service in response to this unmet need. They developed a user-friendly accessibility survey form that has become the standard for the region. They completed accessibility surveys for 8 campgrounds and 2 trails and developed 10 transition plans. The crew has been able to immediately address the accessibility issues identified in transition plans though the construction of a fully accessible fishing pier at Second Dam picnic area in Logan Canyon. They partnered with Common Ground Outdoor Adventures, Logan City, local boy scouts, and the Forest Service to make this happen.

In 2008, the UCC Access to Service crew will develop transition plans for campgrounds and trails on the Ogden Ranger District and work to implement many of the suggested changes on the Logan District. In addition, the crew will survey some areas within Yellowstone National Park.

Every Forest Service unit in the nation is required by law to have transition plans in place; however, many do not. The Access to Service inclusive crew has demonstrated itself to be an effective partnership in addressing this federal mandate and making developed areas on federal lands accessible to users of all abilities.

What is an accessible garden?

The second project that the inclusive crew is working on is the design and development of an accessible community garden. Crew members will design and construct wheelchair accessible raised beds and planter boxes along with accessible pathways throughout the garden. Accessibility features enable folks with disabilities to participate in community gardening alongside their non-disabled counterparts.

How can other conservation corps programs become inclusive?

The Access to Service inclusive crew is hopefully the start of a new movement within the Conservation Corps world! In 2008, two additional Conservation Corps in Minnesota and Wisconsin will receive funding through the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) to develop similar inclusive programs. In 2009, the lessons learned from these three programs will be applied to a toolkit that will enable corps throughout the country to develop inclusive programs within their corps.

How to apply

The UCC will be hiring eight AmeriCorps members to serve on the inclusive crew in 2008. Accommodations and adaptive equipment will be made available to crew members with known disabilities so that they can fully participate.

The 2008 crew will focus on making developed areas within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest accessible to people with disabilities and developing an accessible community garden. The inclusive crew will start and end with traditional UCC summer crews and receive the same benefits.

Submit application, resume, and letter of recommendation by June 13, 2008. Reasonable accommodations and alternative formats can be made available for applications and interviews.

Please contact Kate at (435)797-0964 ext 2 or kate.stephens@usu.edu for information.