I have some to plant that will be accessible by grades that I will
assign according to location.

Such as 'grade A' is within 10 feet of trail for example or maybe <50
feet from parking lot or a grade where a helper can grab it and go back
to the car within a few seconds. Another may require a helper to
retrieve a box and carry it a few feet over an obsticle to the person
waiting on the trail.


I have a box going near a handicap Duck blind, yet it will be about 3
feet into a brushy fence line along a gravel service road hiding under
a self-made rock cover. A wheelchair can only get within about 4 feet
of the box and would require an extra hand getting to it.

Of course boxes so close to a trail for a wheelchair will also be very
close where the 'Muggles' could find it.

It's 42 degrees, raining and I'm off work.....I'm heading to Scioto
Trails....


-----Original Message-----
From: wood thrush
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:55:00 -0000
Subject: [LbNA] accessibility

Freebyrd (and others),

I'd like your opinion on accessibility. I have a few boxes that I
have marked with the accessibility symbol on AQ. But now I am
wondering if I should remove the symbol.

I marked them "accessible" because the paths to the boxes were paved
and not steep. So 99% of the journey to the box is accessible.
However, now I realize that the final 1%---to the box itself---
requires going off the paved path for a few yards, and navigating
usual box-hiding places (hollow tree, under rocks, etc.).

Would you say a box like this is not "accessible" then? I had been
assuming the person with disabilities usually would be in the
company of others who would go off trail for the final 1% to the
box. But now I am thinking, what if the disabled person is out there
alone? In that case, if they are in a wheelchair they could not get
my boxes.

What does an "accessible" letterbox mean to you? Should it only be
for a box that can be entirely retrieved by a disabled person acting
on their own?

Thanks for your input.

wood thrush









Yahoo! Groups Links

> I have a few boxes that I have marked with the accessibility
> symbol on AQ. But now I am wondering if I should remove the symbol.
>
> I marked them "accessible" because the paths to the boxes were
> paved and not steep. So 99% of the journey to the box is
> accessible. However, now I realize that the final 1%---to the box
> itself---requires going off the paved path for a few yards, and
> navigating usual box-hiding places (hollow tree, under rocks,
> etc.).

In my description for what makes a box handicap accessible, that
would count. I figure most people letterbox with a partner anyhow
who can physically retrieve the box from the hiding place, and even
if that wasn't the case, it's usually not hard to read the clue to
figure out if the actual hiding place is inaccessible or not. (For
instance, 'look behind that tree five feet off the trail' might be a
good giveaway that help could be needed to actually retrieve the
box.)

With the more strict interpretation that a box can be accessible
with no outside help at all, I fear almost no letterboxes would
qualify at all!

-- Ryan

IMO I would think most people would have someone with them, but not everybody would. I believe in the buddy system for safety. There are a lot of very independant disabled people around the country going about their day like everyone else.

To me it boils down to good old fashioned common sense. A person needs to know their limitations, and plan accordingly. As I have been looking through clues posted on the site, when I see that it says you have to leave the trail and walk 15 paces to a tree stump etc. then turn left etc. then obviously you will need to go off the better path into unknown territory.

To me as a powerwheelchair user, this means that I will be watching the weather, to make sure there has not been any rain recently and the ground will be sufficiently dry so my chair doesn't sink. My chair can go off trail depending on how much debris is around, I need to make a judgement when I see the area as to whether I am able to take my chair through somewhere or not.

I have enough mobility that I am able to get out of my wheelchair and walk off the trail for a short distance to find a box , where another wheelchair user might not have that option. That is where knowing your limitations and common sense come in.

To me as long as your clue states that you need to leave the trail to get the box, that is enough for me. Knowing that the majority of the trail should be accessible lets me know it is a clue I am able to at least attempt.

Sincerely,
Freebyrd
I marked them "accessible" because the paths to the boxes were paved
and not steep. So 99% of the journey to the box is accessible.
However, now I realize that the final 1%---to the box itself---
requires going off the paved path for a few yards, and navigating
usual box-hiding places (hollow tree, under rocks, etc.).


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Perhaps the best thing for me to do is this: if I think a box warrants
the "accessible" symbol, then I should put a one-or-two-sentence note
in the clue that describes the parts of it that are off trail so that
the finder can have some idea ahead of time what to expect. Also, if
there is any grade at all to the paved trail, that should be noted as
well. That seems to make good sense to me. Thanks to Ryan and Freebyrd
for their replies!

wood thrush