ORLANDO, Fla. -- Rugged, remote trails that might typically be traversed exclusively on foot, bike or horseback are suddenly accessible to people with disabilities thanks to a new program at Seminole State Forest in Florida.
A motorized wheelchair with all-terrain tracks is available for reservation, free of charge, on the weekends for those with mobility impairments and their families to enjoy time in the woods. This long-held dream was first hatched by George Koutsakis, president of Friends of Seminole State Forest, during a trip to Colorado several years ago.
“I was way up in the mountains on a narrow trail. I saw someone using one of these chairs hiking with his two adult children and four grandchildren,” Koutsakis said of the program at Staunton State Park. “To have a person in a wheelchair listen to the birds and be at peace soaking in nature, you can’t beat that.”
