WE’RE STILL HERE! 2024 – First Place

Vera Williams, Nashville, Tennessee

REDISCOVERING NATURE

As a polio survivor, much of my life has been a journey of adaptation. Growing up, my world felt confined by physical limitations and societal barriers. I loved the outdoors as a young girl, but after I had polio, I largely lost my access to the trails and parks I had once cherished. For years, my relationship with nature seemed like a distant memory, something I could only glimpse from afar.

Then the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) changed everything, albeit much more slowly than I would have preferred. I remember the first time I visited a nature preserve that had recently upgraded its pathways to meet ADA standards. The trail was wide, smooth, and inviting, stretching through a forest I thought I’d never explore again. With my power wheelchair humming beneath me, I ventured into the woods, greeted by the rustle of leaves and the scent of pine. For the first time in decades, I wasn’t an outsider looking in. I was part of the landscape.

These accessible trails have transformed not just my access to nature but my mental and emotional well-being. The joy of rolling through a forest or along a riverbank is indescribable. With ADA-compliant boardwalks and observation decks, I now find myself immersed in these once-inaccessible spaces.

The ADA didn’t just open doors—it opened worlds. It brought me back to nature, a place where I feel most at peace, free from the confines of my condition. For me, the power of the ADA is in these simple but profound moments: the feeling of the sun on my face as I roll through a park, the sound of a bird’s call echoing in the trees, and the knowledge that I belong here, too.

For me, it’s about more than just accessibility; it’s the chance to rediscover the world on my own terms.

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