ADA Blog – Access to Nature
By Liani Yirka, Diversity Outreach Specialist
A portrait photo of Liani with trees in the backgroundI was born half a decade before the passage of the ADA in 1990, into a family that instilled the belief that all people are just people, with parents who embrace Martin Luther King Jr’s dream that people are judged by the content of their character. I was blessed by the strong predecessors who fought for equity for people with disabilities and have been inspired by the very notion that experiencing life to its fullest is not reserved for only some of us. Growing up, I attended an elementary school with a strong program for Deaf students and I even participated in a signing (American Sign Language) chorus—the best chorus for me, given my lack of singing talent. As a teenager, I fulfilled my stereotypical girlish desires for a pony by volunteering at a barn that provided hippotherapy, or therapeutic horseback riding, for children with disabilities.
All of this felt like subtext, almost like background noise, as my passion has always been for animals and being outdoors. From “rescuing” a nest of blue jay chick, catching lizards and worms, keeping pet snakes, to my degrees in zoology, I was destined to work in the natural world, or as close to it as I could get. My career and passion for the outdoors merged with this background noise along the way, making me into an advocate for removing barriers to nature and to the outdoors. I have spent time creating universally designed environmental education initiatives for a variety of audiences and advocating that spending time in the natural world (or as close to it as one is comfortable – often a museum) is and should be a human right.
Liani outside holding a bird sitting on her fingersEarlier this year, I took this passion for equity, equality, and inclusion in science and nature to a new position as the Diversity Specialist for the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. The Commission already had some great foundations for inclusion: a track chair that is provided for sportsmen with mobility disabilities, accessible boating and fishing areas, and adaptive technology for hunting and fishing. I am excited to think of additional ways to remove barriers to our public lands and inland waterways.
As we celebrate the 28th year of the ADA this month, I am glad for the program already made by my predecessors, and by my colleagues and fellow advocates. But I am also eager to remove even more barriers, to welcome more people outdoors and to ensure that people can participate fully in appreciating nature. Science, of which I am a big fan, has already shown that walks in nature are associated with positive health benefits, including lowered depression, less perceived stress and enhanced mental well-being for some. These benefits, and likely many more, along with the beauty, tranquility and resources that the natural world provide, should be available regardless of ability, disability, age, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, education, income, etc. And I am looking forward to the work we can do that will make that a reality.
Liani Yirka, Diversity Outreach Specialist, Wildlife Education Division, Phone: 919-707-0190, E-mail: [email protected]