The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy unveiled its new outdoor accessible area Thursday in Frick Park, in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
Local and state officials, stakeholders and community members attended the ribbon cutting for the Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail at the Frick Environmental Center. The project is fully accessible and designed for individuals with physical disabilities and those with different sensory needs.
“We think that parks are for everybody, and that it’s wonderful that people of all different abilities can get into Frick Park who may never have been into the park before,” Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy president and CEO Catherine Qureshi said. “So you’re more than just welcome in our space; you’re wanted in this space.”
The space encompasses three acres of land directly next to the Frick Environmental Center and a quarter-mile paved loop trail. Along the trail, sensory stations like a pebble harp and whisper tubes allow visitors to experience nature through a variety of senses.
Meghann Campbell, a park goer from Natrona Heights, was at the “Sit Spot” meant for resting and reflection.
“I have an autistic son and sometimes he elopes, which is a behavior of autistic children where they kind of just wander and walk away,” Campbell said. “So to have a pathway that allows us to use our wagon to get around and to enjoy the space helps give us peace of mind, and it keeps us safe and able to enjoy the experience.”
The Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, City of Pittsburgh Parks Tax Trust Fund, Clearview Federal Credit Union and others funded the $1.6 million project. Brandon Riley, director of community projects and engagement for the conservancy, said discussions with community members, stakeholders, disability advocates and educators were “crucial” for planning.
“Everything they told us impacted the design of the project,” Riley said. “We could not have built this without the input we received from the community. They really shaped it.”
One community member, Riley recalled, pointed out that the standard height required for a guardrail is at eye level for wheelchair users, blocking their view.
“So the design of that guardrail was to make sure it was as transparent as possible so that everyone could see through it and everyone had equal access to the view we were trying to take advantage of,” Riley said.
Seventeen-year-old Darlene Lewis, a student at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, said she loves the peace and quiet and being in nature.
“I actually work at my school’s greenhouse, where I work with plants and animals, so it’s cool to be here,” Lewis said. “It’s amazing. It’s beautiful.”
As a community-based instructor at the school, Sara Georgalis said the new space makes her job “a little bit easier” by providing an accessible place to come.
“We’ve been here all week. [The students] have been loving it — the sensory interaction, they’re able to pull up into these slots with their wheelchairs, everything they can reach,” Georgalis said.
The project reflects a larger state-wide commitment to outdoor accessibility, according to Arlene Marshall-Hockensmith, director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Her department is a partner of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.
“They’ve helped to inform some of the work that we’re doing as a state agency to make our parks and forest lands more inclusive and accessible to all people,” Marshall-Hockensmith said.
What stands out about the Sensory Nature Trail, Marshall-Hockensmith said, is that it allows visitors “to experience the outdoors in a way that works best for them.”
Next steps for accessibility in Pittsburgh parks
At the ceremony, Qureshi also announced a $1 million gift from the Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation to make the amphitheater at the Frick Environmental Center fully accessible.
She said the conservancy plans to add ramps and shade spaces and hire an accessibility coordinator. Construction is expected to begin next year.
“We really want this campus to be one of the most accessible spaces in Pennsylvania and we think it will be, but we also want to take elements of this park and this space and to other parks in the city of Pittsburgh,” Qureshi said.
