All-terrain Wheelchairs for Equitable Trail Access

Green space, park access, and trees

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

According to the American Community Survey over 500,000 Los Angeles County residents have difficulty walking or climbing stairs due to a myriad of reasons including (but not limited to) injury, chronic illnesses, physical limb abnormalities and auto-immune disorders, yet none of the County’s State Park units currently provide on‑site off‑road track chairs.  The lack of chairs is effectively excluding half a million people from outdoor trail access. This exclusion not only denies fundamental recreation rights, but deepens social isolation and mental‑health challenges that people with mobility challenges often experience. Extensive research shows that regular engagement with nature lowers stress, improves mood, and boosts overall well‑being for people with mobility disabilities. Accessible Off‑Road aims to open the door to these proven health benefits and realize truly equitable park access.

To launch our pilot program, Accessible Off-Road is actively developing strong foundational partnerships and a pilot agreement with California State Parks (CSP). We have been in talks with several state and local officials including CSP Chief of Accessibility, CSP Chief of Partnerships, CSP Nonprofit Manager, and CSP Coastal Superintendent along with LA County Department of Parks and Recreation Section Head Trails Planning officials and Bonelli Park Superintendent. We have also been engaging with other nonprofit initiatives across the country to discuss best practices to increase our initiative’s chance of success.
AOR’s pilot program will address the issues identified in Question 6 in five phases, addressing the critical service gap and setting a scalable blueprint for county, statewide, and national expansion.
Purchase & Deploy four EcoRover track chairs (all‑terrain wheelchairs) to be stationed at four strategically selected public parks in LA County with high attendance rates/traffic.
Develop Accessible Trail Maps using GPS data and on‑site assessments, highlighting track-chair accessible routes, rest areas, and key amenities.
Pilot & Test each station with diverse users, incorporating feedback on terrain, transfer techniques, and signage.
Produce Liability & Usage Forms and train park staff on safe operation and maintenance.
Document Best Practices by synthesizing lessons from riders and park staff to ensure additional chairs and jurisdictions are on-boarded effectively.

AOR believes accessible PLAY is essential to improving one's quality of life and that access to the outdoors is critical to our mental health, wellness, and community building. Track chairs in LA County parks and trails will allow children, adults, and senior citizens with mobility challenges to experience the history, beauty, and culture of public parks.
If our work with this grant is successful, we estimate that the pilot program will enable at least 980 persons to access trails between October 2025 and October 2026, assuming each chair is in use at least once per day from 3/1/2026 (estimated chair installation) and 10/31/2026 (end of grant cycle).
Assuming that about 20% of 500,000 LA County residents with mobility challenges wish to hike in a given year (OIA 2024 Participation Trends Report), and given the scalability of our pilot program, AOR firmly believes we can give approximately 100,000 more people access to trails, changing the landscape of outdoor access in LA County.