In honor of Trail Day, Earthplace celebrated the installation of new rails and Braille signs along Wheels in the Woods IV, the Universal Design Nature Trail at Earthplace.  Earthplace trustee Barbara Carr had the vision to install the trail, which is designed to address the needs of many people, including the frail, sight and hearing impaired.  David Kamp, principal landscape architect of Dirtworks, designed the trail to allow people to connect with nature on their own terms and at their own pace.  The trail winds through woods and around a large meadow.

Executive Director Dr. John Horkel welcomed visitors, and presented plaques of recognition to the Greens Farms Garden Club and the Westport Garden Club to thank them for all their hard work in maintaining the gardens at Earthplace, as well as for their beautification activities in Westport. 

A special guest at the day's activities was Mark Pare, who tested the abilities of the iBOT, a self-balancing and self-correcting motorized wheelchair.  Mark is a licensed occupational therapist and consultant with Independence Technology, a Johnson & Johnson company.  The iBOT easily handled the Universal Design Trail, and Mark was even able to use the chair along uneven parts of the regular trails.

 

 

More photos along the Universal Design Nature Trail