Universal
Trail Assessment
Coordinator
Newsletter
Winter 1997
UTAP Follow-up Survey
The UTAP research project is almost complete. In early January 1998, Beneficial Designs will survey past Trail Assessment Coordinator Workshop participants by telephone as part of the evaluation of the project. The goal is to determine the effectiveness of the UTAP training, and whether TAI data has been provided to trail users. Whether or not you are contacted by telephone, we are interested in hearing any and all of your thoughts and ideas about the project. What do you think are the benefits and limitations of the UTAP and the UTAP training process? Have you been able to assess trails in your area? How do you feel about your hands-on experience with the process? Feel free to share your input on these questions and any other thoughts you might have about the UTAP by contacting Beneficial Designs at 5858 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, ph (408) 429-8447, fax 423-8450, trails@beneficialdesigns.com. Thank you for helping us evaluate the UTAP.
UTAP at National and International Design Conferences
A paper describing the universal design aspects of the UTAP has been accepted for presentation at "Designing for the 21st Century: an International Conference on Universal Design." This conference will be a gathering of experts on Universal Design. Peter Axelson and Julie Kirschbaum plan to travel to New York City from June 18 - 21, 1998 to present the paper. Kathleen Wong is helping to write and edit the paper's content.
Universal Trail Assessment
Process Joins American Trails
American Trails has assumed responsibility for certifying Universal Trail Assessment Process Workshop graduates as official Trail Assessment Coordinators. Pam Gluck, Executive Director of American Trails, has been instrumental in facilitating the transfer of this procedure to her organization. Individuals and organizations interested in becoming certified Trail Assessment Coordinators should contact American Trails.
American Trails has submitted a Field Initiated proposal to the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research at the U.S. Department of Education to host UTAP workshops for three years across the United States. American Trails is currently scheduling the workshops it will host in 1998. Those wishing to host a UTAP workshop should contact Pam Gluck at American Trails, P.O. Box 11046, Prescott, AZ 86304, phone: (520) 632-1140, fax: (520) 632-1147 and email at <AmTrails@lankaster.com>.
Post Your Trail Information
on the Internet
Beneficial Designs is developing a Web site that provides information on trails to outdoor enthusiasts with Internet connections. We are currently offering trail managers the opportunity to include information about their trails in the first version of the Web site. Just fill out the enclosed survey and mail or fax it to Beneficial Designs. We are accepting both Trail Access Information and general park and trail information. For more information, call 408-429-8447, extension 102 to connect your trails to the Internet.
The Web site contains a search engine and database of trails with TAI, maps, scenic images, and general visitor information. The concept is based on the interactive trail kiosk being developed for Yosemite National Park. Users will be able to specify characteristics of trails they would like to hike, such as minimum width, destination, surface type, and other TAI categories. The Web site will include information on trails across North America. This work is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research through Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Contract # RW97076011.
Army Corps of Engineers
Supports UTAP
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has written an official letter of support for the Universal Trail Assessment Process. The Corps joins the ranks of the five other national government land management agencies collaborating with the project to date. These agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation. National non-governmental agencies collaborating with the project include American Trails, the National Center on Accessibility (NCA), and Wilderness Inquiry.
Dotman Debuts on Trail Kiosk
He may not be faster than a speeding bullet, nor more powerful than a locomotive, but his round torso, lemon-yellow hue, and big smile make him the host with the most for the Trails Kiosk. Designed by local cartoonist Clay Butler, Dotman will guide kiosk users through their trail search selections and provide a pictorial representation of what each selection means.
Simone MacLeod has added sound and visual aids to the kiosk to enhance its accessibility for people with visual impairments. By tracing specified patterns on the touch screen, users with visual impairments can activate speech output, pull up an on-screen menu modified to ease button selection, and choose one of three accessibility assistance levels. The project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 1998. This project, entitled Interactive Computerized Information Trail Guides for Universal Access, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education through Small Business Innovation Research Phase II Contract # RW95170006.
Accessibility Standards for
Picnic and Camping Facilities
In charge of developing standards for recreational facilities and outdoor developed areas, the Outdoor Developed Areas Regulatory Negotiation Committee of the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (US ATBCB) met for the third time in Seattle in mid-December to discuss accessibility standards for picnic and camping facilities. The Committee agreed that access to health and hygiene facilities such as toilets and drinking water should be required in most highly developed areas. Other facilities, such as picnic tables, will all be built to accessible design standards, but only a percentage of these facilities will be on accessible routes. The Committee did not yet define the standards for an "accessible route," and will discuss provisions for telephones, signage, bathrooms, and pit toilets in a future meeting. Work on picnic and camping facility provisions will be completed at the next meeting from January 31-February 2 in San Diego at the International Rails to Trails Conference. There, the Committee will begin discussing standards for trails and outdoor access routes. Future meetings include May 19-21, tentatively scheduled at the National Center on Accessibility in Bradford Woods, Indiana; and another on August 12-14, location to be announced. For additional information about the Outdoor Developed Areas Regulatory Negotiation Committee, contact Peggy Greenwell, US ATBCB, 1331 F St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004 - 1111, phone (202) 272-5447.
Back to Top.
Unless otherwise noted, all contents are Copyright Beneficial Designs, Inc., 1994 - 2001
About Beneficial Designs | Recreational and Leisure Technologies | Wheelchair Seating and Mobility | Trails, Sidewalks and Shared Use Paths | Surface Measurement and Accessibility | Ski Area Access | PAX Press and Publications (Order Forms) | Tools for Life: Technology for Developing Countries | Home |