Recent advances in adaptive outdoor gear is making it easier for persons with disabilities to enjoy outdoor recreation in Michigan, and the Department of Natural Resources is helping promote these changes through a comprehensive effort to highlight accessibility.

To highlight recent advances in accessible adaptive equipment for outdoor recreation, the DNR held a demonstration day last June at its Island Lake Recreation Area near Brighton.

The event was coordinated by the DNR's Accessibility Advisory Council (AAC) and the agency's accessibility team (A-Team). The participants tried out adaptive shooting equipment, several types of archery equipment (including long bows, modified bows and crossbows), and several types of adaptive personal mobility devices including one that included a fold-out, camouflage hunting canopy.

The new AMKAR, a wheelchair accessible electric car, was available to be test-driven. The vehicle features hand controls and a remote controlled automatic fold-out ramp, which enables persons who use a manual wheelchair, power chair or scooter to drive it without a transfer out of a personal mobility device.

One of the participants was Roberta McCall, who has a significant visual impairment. Receiving some assistance from a sighting device in her first target shoot, McCall hit the bull's-eye on her first attempt.

"I never thought I would be able to shoot a gun, let alone hit a bull's-eye," McCall said. "This day certainly has made us aware of the possibilities out there. We can all participate with a little assistance and adjustment."

McCall also is a member of the AAC, which was formed by DNR Director Rebecca A. Humphries in March 2007 to help the department improve access to natural resources and outdoor recreation.

"Getting people outdoors is our business," said Humphries, "and because nearly one in five of our citizens has a disability, the DNR is committed to make Michigan's natural resources available to all."

The role of the AAC is to advise the department on policy issues related to accessibility and to assist the efforts of the A-Team with implementing the agency's strategic plan for accessible recreation.

One of the first joint efforts by the AAC and the A-Team was to identify and make recommendations to change existing laws and regulations that might pose a barrier to accessible recreation.

For instance, current state law prohibits hunters from driving a vehicle into the woods, parking it and shooting game from the vehicle. But, under both state law and hunting regulations adopted by the DNR, power wheelchairs are defined as "vehicles."

So the team developed a recommendation to recognize that personal assistive mobility devices are a personal assistive extension of the person who uses them and not a vehicle to be regulated.

"We realized the central problem was that while technology was improving the quality of life for people with disabilities, existing laws had become outdated," said William Pemble, chairperson of the DNR's A-Team.

Then, almost a year to the day, Pemble said the federal government issued its own interim guidelines granting a broad range of access to people who use the personal assistive mobility devices.

"Although we are still working through the process of updating department policy to recognize these devices, it is fair to say we were ahead of the curve on this issue thanks to the teams' efforts," Pemble said.

The A-Team and AAC also recommended changes to the way the DNR issues crossbow permits to persons with disabilities.

It eliminated language that required people with a progressive neuromuscular disease to re-qualify every two years and changed language to allow a physician or physical therapist to sign the application.

The new process also allows a physician to indicate other disabilities not identified on the application, which would allow the individual to use a crossbow in cases where conventional archery equipment is not feasible.

The DNR also is seeking public input to consider changes in crossbow regulations through an online survey at www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Other projects under consideration include an assisted hunt, which recommends the creation of an assisted hunt license that would allow an individual who has a disability, and who cannot pass the hunter safety course even with accommodations, to continue to hunt with direct, individual support from an adult licensed hunter -- similar to the requirements for the DNR's apprentice hunting license program.

Another significant change has been the development of a new scoring system for the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant program that awards additional points for proposals that incorporate the principles of universal design into both the planning process and project design.

This fall, the trust fund board recommended nearly $1.1 million in funding for development projects in four communities that demonstrated universal accessibility. These projects, which are located in St. Ignace, Wyoming, East Grand Rapids and Washtenaw County, also received up to one-half of their proposed local match funding from the Recreation Access Initiative. Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the purpose of the initiative is to fund the development of outdoor recreation facilities that are accessible to people of all abilities and to promote education and awareness of accessibility issues.

Outdoor recreation plays a significant role in the quality of life that Michigan citizens enjoy. To learn more how the DNR is working to improve access to outdoor recreation for all, visit the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr, and click on the Accessible Recreation Quick Link.