National Trail Surfaces Study

Background

There are an estimated 56.7 million people with disabilities in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Approximately one in five individuals have some type of functional limitation that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Growing public awareness of the barriers to persons with disabilities has led to several pieces of federal legislation that have an effect on the design of recreation facilities. Chief among these are the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (PL 90‒480), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (PL 93‒112), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (PL 101‒336), as amended by PL 110‒325 (September 25, 2008).

In order for people with disabilities to benefit on the same level as people without disabilities, leisure and recreation services must be inclusive and accessible (Stumbo, Wang & Pegg, 2011). Recreation opportunities give people with and without disabilities the opportunity to increase their quality of life and to benefit from and contribute to their own health and wellness (National Center on Accessibility, 2008).

The World Health Organization (2011) refers to disability as “the negative aspects of the interaction between individuals with a health condition…and personal and environmental factors…”(p. 7). One of the disabling barriers is a lack of accessibility in not only the built environment, but also the natural environment in which many leisure and recreation experiences take place.

Health data for people with disabilities, DATA2010, measures health at the population level (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). While these data highlight improvements in health over the previous decade, they clearly reveal specific health disparities for people with disabilities. Compared with people without disabilities, people with disabilities are, among other things, more likely to:

• Not engage in fitness activities

• Be overweight or obese

• Have high blood pressure

• Experience symptoms of psychological distress

• Receive less social-emotional support, (Healthy People 2020)

The U.S. Access Board is the federal agency responsible for producing guidelines for creating accessible environments. On June 20, 2007, the Access Board issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas (U.S. Access Board, 2007) covered under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). On October 19, 2009, the Access Board issued the revised version of these guidelines, titled Draft Final Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas. Upon completion of the US Access Board’s rulemaking process and adoption by the Department of Justice, all new construction or alteration projects being built on Federal Lands will be required to comply with the Outdoor Developed Areas guidelines. Following the adoption of these guidelines at the federal level, they will then become enforceable for those entities covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These entities include private, state, and local entities. The Draft Final Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas includes accessibility requirements for camping facilities, beach access routes, viewing areas, picnic facilities and trails.

As a result of the U.S. Access Board's Draft Final Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas, entities are utilizing the document as a best practice until adoption and accessible trails are now a facet of recreation that is to be made accessible to the maximum extent feasible (U.S. Access Board, 2009). This is an important progression as trails serve a wide variety of functions, including expanding transportation routes, offering recreational opportunities, and protecting sensitive environments by focusing traffic on a suitable tread (Marion & Leung, 1996).

The impetus for the National Trails Surface study was to investigate alternatives to the typical firm and stable surface materials of asphalt, concrete, or boardwalk. It is a common misconception that in order to make a trail surface firm and stable, it needs to be paved. Professionals have found that using soil stabilizers, or natural aggregates, can be effective alternatives to creating a trail surface that meets accessibility guidelines (Boone, 2008).

An individual's mental, physical, and emotional well-being is positively affected by the action of hiking on trails. Factors such as being in nature, participating in a physical challenge, socializing with others in an inclusive recreational environment all contribute to an increased well-being. The desire to enjoy this type of outdoor recreational experience is equal amongst individuals with and without disabilities. Research shows that recreating is a necessary action when looking at increasing an individual's overall well-being. The technical provisions of the Draft Final Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas (U.S. Access Board, 2009) for trails requires a trail surface that is firm and stable. The guidelines are currently being applied as a best practice set of guidelines for Federal, State, Local and Private entities. In an attempt to preserve the natural trail experience (i.e. not concrete, asphalt and boardwalk surface materials), recreation professionals have identified a need to find alternative firm and stable trail surfaces.

The National Organization on Disability and Kessler Foundation, in conjunction with Harris Interactive, studied the attitudes, experiences, and level of participation of Americans with disabilities. The study identified 13 indicators of the quality of life and standard living of Americans with disabilities. Since 1986, the Surveys of Americans with Disabilities measured the gaps on 10 of these indicators between people with and without disabilities; in 2010 three new indicators were added which were access to mental health services, technology, and overall financial situation (Kessler Foundation & National Organization on Disability, 2010). The intent of the 2010 research was to measure the size of the gaps on the 13 indicators between people with and without disabilities 20 years after the passage of the ADA; determine which gaps are and are not closing and by how much compared to earlier research; provide benchmarking for measuring future progress; and to examine additional measures of quality of life that may be relevant in today’s environment. The 10 indicators that were tracked over the course of six surveys were: employment, poverty, education, health care, access to transportation, socializing, going to restaurants, attendance at religious services, political participation, and satisfaction with life. According to this survey, individuals with disabilities felt 27 percent less satisfied with life than individuals without disabilities (Kessler Foundation & National Organization on Disability, 2010). Since the data from this survey indicate that individuals with disabilities are more likely to feel less satisfied with life, it is important to explore how participation in leisure activities can benefit and contribute to feelings of satisfaction and overall wellness among this population.

Many factors affect life satisfaction, but according to recent research, leisure satisfaction is considered a significant predictor of life satisfaction (Beggs & Elkins, 2010). Using the most recognized and utilized standardized instrument for understanding leisure satisfaction developed by Beard & Ragheb (1980), various studies have measured leisure satisfaction amongst individuals. The Leisure Satisfaction Scale is comprised of six factors that were identified using principal component analysis. The factors are psychological, educational, social, relaxation, physiological, and aesthetic (Beggs & Elkins, 2010). Beard and Ragheb described the psychological component as the psychological benefits of the leisure activity such as enjoyment, sense of freedom, involvement, and challenge. The educational factor relates to how individuals learn about themselves and their surroundings. The social dimension refers to the rewarding relationships with other individuals that are created in leisure activity participation and referred to the relaxation factor as the relief from strain and stress of everyday life. The physiological component refers to physical fitness, weight control, and well‐being. The aesthetic dimension was explained as how well individuals found the leisure environment to be pleasing, interesting, beautiful, and well designed.

Various elements may affect life satisfaction levels; however, research has shown that leisure is a major contributor to feelings of health, wellness, and high quality of life (Hall, 2005). Leisure is a means through which improvements can be made in areas such as physical, psychological, and social wellness. Shank, Coyle, Boyd, & Kinney (1996), believe recreation, leisure and play improve quality of life as well as “improve and maintain physical and psychological health and well-being” (p. 190). Research has shown that people with disabilities usually desire the same outcomes as anyone else when participating in physical activities. Those outcomes include: the ability for individuals with and without disabilities to equally benefit from physical activities (and a concomitant sense of fun), competency in doing the activity, psychological and safe environments, easy access on a regular basis, a minimum of negative consequences, and participation companions (i.e., family or friends) (Henderson, 1999). The environment can either limit or facilitate physical activity among people with disabilities. The desired outcomes of recreation participation are oftentimes not achieved due to physical limitations in the environment. To facilitate physical activity among people with disabilities, the environment must be modified to eliminate barriers (Rimmer, Riley, Wang, Rauworth, & Jurkowski, 2004). Individuals with and without disabilities develop passions for particular leisure activities and recreational sports. This research project focuses on decreasing physical barriers to participation of individuals with disabilities in the outdoor environment, and specifically on trails. The natural environment can be inherently inaccessible for people with disabilities. Rough and uneven surfaces make it difficult to push a wheelchair, maintain balance, or use other devices to help with mobility.

Individuals with disabilities often face increased constraints to participation in leisure and recreation. Attitudes, inaccessible environments and a limited understanding of possibilities prevent individuals with disabilities from benefiting from leisure and recreation. Poor health and limited physical functioning are the biggest barriers to leisure for individuals with disabilities (McCormick, 2000). Non-accessible trails can be a barrier to participation for some individuals, therefore, ensuring that trails are accessible helps to facilitate what research is proving that individuals with disabilities need fewer barriers to participation. Entities are not always afforded the opportunity to provide trails that are asphalt, concrete or boardwalk. Referring back to Beard and Ragheb’s Leisure Satisfaction Scale, both the psychological and aesthetic components of the scale would denote that individuals with disabilities would derive more satisfaction from a trail that provides a more challenging and natural experience over a trail that is paved and not challenging. The outdoor environment offers a separate experience from an urban setting and a visitor to the outdoor environment, whether with or without a disability, comes seeking that particular type of experience. Therefore, additional research is required to provide alternative surface options for constructing and maintaining firm and stable trails.

Trail management entities and/or individuals are looking for alternatives to concrete or asphalt trail surfaces that will prove to be firm and stable for their projects. There is some existing research on aggregate and/or organic or natural by‐product trail surface options, such as an article done by Anasazi Trails, Inc. on surfacing used along the Rio Grande trail corridor (Anasazi Trails, Inc., 2008), but additional research is necessary for other areas of the country.