The program, which is led by the county Parks and Recreation Department and began in 2022, stemmed from an effort to expand accessibility. A key aspect is the availability of two battery-powered, off-road TerrainHoppers, which arrived in June 2022. Offered at the Bear Creek Nature Center and the Fountain Creek Nature Center, Trailability is a way for the centers to deliver on their mission to connect people to natural and cultural resources.
In 2023, officials extended the program’s season from May to October, and added Hoyer Lifts to help ease a person’s transition from a wheelchair into a TerrainHopper. This year, the program is further evolving, using auditory devices to better inform residents with disabilities, and replacing a hiking companion requirement with GPS.
From improving access to government locations with tech for people who are blind, to using virtual reality to better train staff to serve constituents with disabilities, Colorado government agencies have long emphasized accessibility.
A Colorado law dictates that government agencies that exclude people with disabilities from receiving services are committing a state civil rights violation; all state agencies and local governments are required to be in compliance with state standards by July 1. But for government, making services accessible goes beyond compliance.
“The county is always trying to enhance our offerings for those who are disadvantaged or disabled or [face] economic challenges,” Theresa Odello, its recreation and cultural services division manager, said in an interview.
The decision to allow independent rides this year originated from feedback about users feeling empowered and experiencing freedom, Odello said. The county wanted to go further to empower program participants and provide them more freedom.
To ensure the safety of those traveling independently, the county is implementing LandAirSea 54 GPS trackers, which it bought in 2023, on each TerrainHopper. The trackers, which are being used this year for the first time, show if a participant is stopped in one spot for a long period of time — so a staffer can find them and offer support. Employees use an app on their cellphones to track the vehicles in real time. The county determined through testing and research the trackers were the right device to use based on its geographical area, as they enable tracking with or without access to Wi-Fi.
Feedback from program participants and from the community enables the Trailability Program to continually improve. After seeing how the TerrainHoppers got hot sitting in the sun, the county purchased seat covers; and officials have worked since the program's inception to simplify signups, migrating from paper forms to an online process that uses a recreation software.
Another county initiative that's entirely new this year is the VIP (Visually Impaired Persons) Trail. The county’s geography can limit connectivity and inhibit using cellphones to scan QR codes. Instead, the county has implemented PENfriend devices. These accessibility tools offer information about the outdoor scenery in an audio format for people who are blind or have low vision.
During its still-brief tenure, the Trailability Program has come to lean more heavily on volunteer staff — tripling their numbers over the last two years to reach 90 percent in 2023. They're trained in how to do everything from share environmental information to communicate how vehicles work. But the county also hosts a free disability advocate training, led by the Independence Center, which helps volunteers understand how the needs and wants of participants may vary, and the best way to support people with different disabilities.
“Since we started the Trailability Program, it’s created a ripple effect in the community,” Odello noted. Other government entities, like Cheyenne Mountain State Park and the city of Colorado Springs have shown interest in the program, and El Paso County has shared information and resources. The county hopes to see the Trailability Program expand to another nature center, now in design, when it is eventually built.
“But we’re excited about that and also always looking for new ways to use technology, or anything along those lines, to make the outdoors more accessible,” Odello said.
