Accessible Outdoors Month 2025: Making Nature Open to Every Body and Every Brain

Blue background with title of blog post in white writing, and symbols of a tree, a wheelchair user, and a brain, with NE logo underneath

July isn’t just Disability Pride Month—it’s also Accessible Outdoors Month, a celebration and call to action that centres on one core belief: Everyone deserves access to nature. Whether you find peace in a quiet woodland walk, joy in a sensory-friendly park, or connection through an outdoor community event, the outdoors should be for all of us—regardless of ability, mobility, or neurotype.

At NeuroEmpowered, we’re passionate about breaking barriers—both social and environmental—that prevent disabled and neurodivergent people from fully experiencing the natural world.

🌳 Why Accessible Outdoors Month Matters

Nature is healing, grounding, and vital to mental health. But for far too many people, outdoor spaces are still filled with physical, sensory, and cultural barriers, such as:

• Uneven or unpaved trails without mobility access

• Overstimulating environments without sensory accommodations

• Gatekeeping around what “outdoorsy” looks like

• Lack of accessible signage, restrooms, or transportation

• Safety concerns for chronically ill, neurodivergent, and multiple disabled people

Accessible Outdoors Month 2025 is about changing that. It’s about amplifying disabled voices in outdoor culture, celebrating inclusive design, and fighting for accessibility as a right, not a privilege.

🧠 Neurodivergence and the Natural World

Many neurodivergent people experience the outdoors differently—and that’s not only valid, it’s valuable.

Some of us thrive in the stillness of early mornings, away from crowds. Others enjoy stimming in nature: hands in water, feet in the grass, fidgeting with leaves or stones. But navigating the sensory unpredictability of outdoor spaces can be overwhelming without intentional support.

Accessible outdoors spaces mean:

• Clearly marked quiet zones

• Predictable routines and signage

• Inclusive programming that incorporates different communication styles

• Respect for rest, pacing, and access needs without shame

Planning Accessible Outdoor Experiences

✅ Quick Checklist Before You Go:

• ☐ Is the trail paved or compacted?

• ☐ Are there accessible restrooms or seating areas?

• ☐ Is there signage with maps, visuals, or QR codes?

• ☐ Will it be loud, crowded, or overstimulating?

• ☐ Can you bring tools (noise-cancelling headphones, stim toys, walking supports, snacks)?

• ☐ Are there quiet hours, guided options, or sensory-friendly alternatives?

🌿 Apps & Tools We Recommend:

• AllTrails: Filter by wheelchair/stroller accessible trails

• AccessNow: Community-sourced reviews of accessible places

• Wheelmap: Maps wheelchair-accessible locations globally

• Sunrise/Sunset Apps: Avoid crowds and overstimulation

• Sensory Travel Planners: Use visual schedules for predictability

🧭 Tips for a Neurodivergent-Friendly Outdoor Day:

• Choose familiar or low-sensory environments

• Bring a “recharge kit” (snacks, meds, stim tools, sunscreen, water)

• Communicate access needs with companions beforehand

• Take breaks when needed—no guilt

• Celebrate your kind of adventure (even if it’s 5 minutes outside your door)

🌿 How to Participate in Accessible Outdoors Month

Here are a few ways to engage meaningfully this month—online or outside:

✅ Explore Local Accessible Spaces: Visit a park, trail, or garden that offers paved paths, sensory-friendly spaces, or disability-focused programming.

📸 Share Your Experience: Post a photo or story using the hashtag #AccessibleOutdoors to show what outdoor access means to you.

🏞️ Advocate for Better Design: Talk to local organisations, parks departments, or event planners about improving accessibility. Sometimes small changes make a big impact.

🗣️ Bring Disabled Voices in Nature Back to the Centre: Read books, blogs, and social media posts by disabled adventurers, outdoor educators, and access advocates, and change culture through visibility.

🌼 Let’s Redefine What Belonging Looks Like

The outdoors should never be limited by ableist ideals of fitness, silence, or rugged independence. Belonging doesn’t require climbing a mountain—it can mean sitting beside a stream, savouring a paved trail, or lying in the grass and stimming freely.

Access isn’t extra. It’s essential. And everyone—every body, every mind—deserves the right to connect with nature on their own terms.

This Accessible Outdoors Month, let’s imagine and build a world where the outdoors are truly open to all of us.