Disabled Hikers

Did you know that Syren, the founder of Disabled Hikers, wrote the first guidebooks for the cross-disability community to EVER be published? And by the largest outdoor publisher in the world?

We are coming up on the two and four year anniversaries for The Disabled Hiker's Guides!

These books provide detailed information and an objective rating system for a variety of access needs and types of disabilities. They include scenic drives, a variety of wheelchair accessible/hikeable trails depending on your equipment and needs, and foot trails for disabled hikers. There are also scenic viewpoints and places to just enjoy nature.

You can get them from us or anywhere you like to get books!

The Disabled Hiker's Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and on foot was published in 2022. It covers areas from the Cascade crest in WA and OR, west to the coast.

The Disabled Hiker's Guide to Northern California: outdoor adventures accessible by car, wheelchair, and on foot was published in 2024. It covers areas from Monterey Bay, east to the Sierra and north to the state line.

Oakland! Our group hike at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park has been rescheduled for September 19!

Join us for an accessible, casual hike beneath the redwoods. Masks required, transportation stipends available, and we are working on a shuttle bus to the park.

You know where to go for details and to sign up!

ID: text on a green background with a photo in the center. Text reads Disabled Hikers group hike Reinhardt Redwoods Park Oakland. September 19 11:00am. Photo from behind of a group of disabled folks on the paved trail, two using wheelchairs four walking. The Disabled Hikers logo is in the bottom left and East Bay Regional Parks logo in bottom right.

Did you know that the Americans with Disabilities Act only requires ONE accessible parking spot per TWENTY-FIVE spots? And only one of every six of those has to be van accessible? This is absurd, considering at least 25% of people have a disability.

25 years of driving, a lifetime of having "qualifying conditions", including multiple disability-related injuries that meant I could not walk, and I just got my first disabled parking tag. To get a tag, your doctor has to approve and sign paperwork. Many won't, especially if you are young or don't "look like" you need it.

There are also arguments within the disability community about who "deserves" to use accessible parking, restrooms, etc. Instead of gatekeeping accessibility and arguing about who is "disabled enough" let's turn that energy to advocating for more access for everyone. We deserve better than a single parking spot or toilet. The scarcity is the point - let's stop letting them use it to divide us. ~Syren

ID: a blue disabled parking hang tag

Its the last day of Disability Pride Month! We want to hear from you, especially non-disabled allies and organizations, how are you continuing Disability Pride throughout the year? How are you committing to improving access and belonging, fighting for disability rights, and supporting Disabled leadership? Let us know what your goals are, so others can learn too!

If you're not sure, Disabled Hikers can help. Check out the Work with Us page on our site.

Happy Disability Pride Month to all, and we hope for a bonus spoon day and a brand new accessibility feature at your favorite spot for all of our Disabled community! 🥄👩‍🦼👨‍🦯

ID: photo collage with 7 photos in frames. Five are group photos of disabled folks outdoors. One is of Jimothy the raccoon and another is a single photo of Syren. Text box in the center reada happy Disability Pride Month how are you continuing Pride all year? Background of the disability pride flag.

We've been super busy, so are extending the pre-order deadline until Monday August 3!

Get this adorable, hand drawn Jimothy art created for us by Rebecca Lexa, Naturalist on a shirt, sticker, or poster. It features Jimothy, a round little raccoon with a short spine and no neck, holding a walking stick and wearing a red bandana. Text on a ribbon surrounding him reads disability is natural.

A few FAQs: we can't ship international, sorry! These are not drop-shipped and its too expensive and time consuming for us. We don't have a digital download for you to print at home. We will have a download able embroidery design soon though! We also can't change the shirts or prints beyond the current ordering options.

Yesterday (on the anniversary of the ADA), Seattle officially proclaimed this year as "Jimothy Summer" and held an art celebration. Luckily, you can support an actual Disabled-led organization and get some Jimothy art of your own! 😏

Hand drawn by Rebecca Lexa, you can get this art on a t-shirt, poster, sticker, and coming soon: an embroidery pattern!

This drawing features Jimothy, a round little raccoon with a short spine and no neck, standing on his back legs and holding a hiking stick in his front paws. He's wearing a little red bandana. Green ribbons above and below read disability is natural. Disabled Hikers is on the end of one ribbon. (The Disabled Hikers watermark across the drawing will not be on the printed ones)

Celebrate Jimothy summer and Disabled people, while supporting our work to increase access and belonging in the outdoors.

Tomorrow, July 26, is the 36th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There are still a lot of misconceptions about the ADA. The ADA is a civil rights law, not an architectural law or building code, meant to protect the rights of all disabled people to live full, safe lives. In reality, Disabled people still do not have equal rights, full community inclusion, reliable healthcare or care workers, access to education, living wages, the right to marry, and so much more.

The ADA also has no enforcement. Our rights are constantly violated, but our only options are a costly time and energy consuming complaint process or personal lawsuit. The Department of Justice has released multiple memos stating it will not enforce the laws for community inclusion, emotional support animals, and more.

As a civil rights law, the ADA is also constantly under threat. Bills to undercut the ADA are introduced every year - and especially in the past few years, where multiple lawsuits are attempting to declare the ADA unconstitutional, are challenging long standing protections, and critical disability services are being defunded. In the wave of anti civil rights legislation, Disabled people aren't "next" - we are now.

The ADA regulations are also the bare minimums for accessibility. They do not do enough to ensure access for all and are too easy to get around. There have certainly been improvements in the lives of disabled people, but we are still in precarious situations. The ADA is the baseline, it is not the end goal.

While the ADA was a major win fought for by many multiply marginalized disabled people, we have so much more to do to achieve liberation for all.

ID: background photo of a person in a large power chair looking at a mountain landscape. They are on a van lift. Text reads the Americans with Disabilities Act is 36 years old and we still do not have equal civil rights.

Jimothy says disability is natural and you should support Disabled Hikers! Rebecca Lexa created this hand drawn art piece for us, and you can get it on a sticker, t-shirt, or poster.

Our disability icon has brought some much needed joy to so many, and we wanted to keep that going. This drawing features Jimothy, a round little raccoon with a short spine and no neck, standing on his back legs and holding a hiking stick in his front paws. He's wearing a little red bandana. Green ribbons above and below read disability is natural. Disabled Hikers is on the end of one ribbon. (The Disabled Hikers watermark across the drawing will not be on the printed ones)

You know where to go to find him! Happy Disability Pride Month!

Thank you everyone who came to our hangout in Portland yesterday! Creating disability space that is by us for us to build community is what we're all about. There's something so special about gathering as a cross-disability group to learn and share with each other, amd even better to do it in such a beautiful place.

Shout out to Portland Parks and the Forest Park shuttle team for supporting these events!

ID: 1) group photo of 13 people. Several are sitting in wheelchairs, others are standing with and without mobility aids. All are wearing a face mask. 2) the same group gathered around an overlook of a creek. Some are sitting on a rock wall. There are lush trees in the background.