Birding is for everybody... but we have work to do. Round-table discussion hosted by Birdability’s Virginia Rose and Freya McGregor.
Date: Friday August 13
Time: 3.30-5pm.
Birders and nature lovers with access challenges – we want to hear from you! Birding and the outdoors have the potential to be welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible to people with disabilities and other health concerns, but there is lots of work ahead of us to make that a reality. Join Birdability Founder and wheelchair user for 48 years Virginia Rose, and Birdability Coordinator and Occupational Therapist Freya McGregor for an informal, solutions-oriented, round-table discussion. We want to learn what you need from the birding community to feel welcome and included, and what you’d like to see at birding locations to enable you to visit them.
Able-bodied birders who are BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ are invited to share their perspectives too; many people have intersecting identities and it is important we are truly inclusive and address all barriers to access whenever possible.
Bird outing leaders, program coordinators and allies who want to learn what they can do to improve inclusion, diversity, equity and access in birding are welcome to attend and contribute meaningfully, although the discussion will be centering those with disabilities and other health concerns. Anyone attending this safe space is expected to be respectful and inclusive, or will be asked to leave.
Please note: This discussion will be recorded. The recording will not be made publicly available but will be used in lieu of us taking notes, so we can take your recommendations and put them into practice in our work to ensure that birding truly is for everybody and every body. If you have questions about participating in this event, please feel free to email info@birdability.org To learn more about Birdability and our work, please visit birdability.org or follow us on social media @birdability
To learn more about the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, including the other fieldtrips and workshops offered, and to register, visit the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival webpage.