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1/6/2007
Rapid City Journal - Op-Ed; Seeing wilderness from a wheelchair is disabled people's right
- Judi Severson

This summer, I visited Indian Creek Proposed Wilderness in Buffalo Gap National Grassland. This area is part of a 71,381-acre proposal put forth by the South Dakota Grasslands Wilderness Coalition.

The view into Indian Creek was breathtaking. I believe wilderness is a gift to us and must be treated with respect. The best way to preserve it is with a federal wilderness designation. This would be a great asset to Rapid City and the Black Hills region, not to mention our state. It would be America's first national grassland wilderness.

I appreciated the opportunity to spend that time with my daughter and friends on Cardiac Hill and absorb the beauty surrounding us. Seeing this area firsthand made me aware of the need to preserve it for future generations, and strengthened my commitment to see that happen.

I attended the Fifth Annual Wilderness Symposium in November. I particularly identified with U.S. Forest Service National Accessibility Program Manager Janet Zeller's presentation, as she is confined to a wheelchair also. In her talk, she said, "I had an accident, and my life changed. Gathering up a few things and heading off to camp or hike or climb a mountain isn't the same thing when you can't walk like you used to, or you are dependent on a wheelchair for mobility." In my case, I contracted multiple sclerosis (MS) in the mid-1980s - about the same time as Zeller's accident.

It's a given that life will never be the same when something like this happens to you. No one can ever really understand, though, unless it happens to them - but that's OK. We don't expect you to. I don't expect special treatment with respect to outdoor recreational opportunities: I just want to be equal with my comrades who are ambulatory. Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act is the key. This law doesn't give any extra advantage because I have a disability; it only gives me the right to participate equally with non-disabled people.

The 1964 Wilderness Act created the National Wilderness Preservation System, areas which prohibit access by mechanized or motorized vehicles.

Wheelchairs are an exception. The Americans With Disabilities Act Title V section 507c defines the device used by a person with a mobility impairment to get around indoors (their wheelchair) as their footwear, which therefore is acceptable where foot travel is allowe - including wilderness areas.

Now let's talk practicality. I must use a wheelchair because of my MS, and this wheelchair is allowed in wilderness. But it's not as easy for me to get to the same places I used to go. Adjustments must be made - but the same goes for any activity I undertake. I'm not being denied the opportunity to recreate in wilderness. It does mean that I can no longer throw a few things together and head out the door. I have to plan ahead. I have to call my friends or family who enjoy those same places. We may approach an area from a different access point (one designated for motor vehicle use), park, and then continue into the wilderness.

I have a motorized wheelchair, which gives me an advantage over someone with a standard chair. I can go places other wheelchair users can't. But the point of wilderness is that it is remote, rugged country - which means there are areas I can't get to either. And that's OK. I can't play tennis anymore either - I used to love to play tennis!

By 2030 more than 80 million Americans will be over 65. As we age, mobility tends to decrease, and we become more dependent on others. People will find it more difficult to get to places they used to walk to easily. Accessibility to wilderness may become a problem - but so may going to the grocery store!

What does all this mean? Simply that any person, including one with a disability, has the right to choose where to recreate, including in wilderness: but everyone must do so by the same rules. This choice is based either on willingness to make an effort or desire to look for more easily accessible places. Easy access for all equals more people and their impact; more difficult access for all equals fewer people and less human impact. The reality of life with disability or the reality of aging does limit us - all of us.

Zeller ended her presentation with, "Decisions must be made based on the resource, by listening to the land. In this manner, a full range of opportunities will be protected for us all. That's the one great gift we can provide future generations."

Having visited Indian Creek makes me want to ensure it's preserved forever. There was no trail: It was rough, but well worth it. Do I wish I could have gotten deeper into the area? Yes. But I also wish I could run a marathon. Or go skydiving. Or travel by myself.

It's exciting to think that South Dakota could be the first state to meet its obligation to future generations and preserve this land for all.