Birdability Week
Birdability Week is a celebration of birders with disabilities and other health concerns, as well as an opportunity to share resources and ideas to help the birding community become accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to everybody! It is an annual collection of events the third week of each October, drawing inspiration from other inclusive celebrations such as #BlackBirdersWeek, Latino Conservation Week and Let’s Go Birding Together.
Birdability Week 2025 is October 20-26!
Check out the schedule of events, registration links, our amazing sponsors, Birdability Week merchandise, and more below and join us for this annual celebration of accessible birding!
This year’s logo is original linocut artwork donated by artist Jenny Gringer to celebrate the fact that YOU BELONG HERE!
Birdability Week 2025 Virtual Events Information + Registration Links:
Morning Virtual Birding on Instagram Live - 10:00 AM ET - October 20-26, 2025
Join the Birdability community for virtual birding every morning at 10 a.m. ET on Instagram Live. We will gather from across the country to slow down, notice what is around us, and share bird joy in ways that work for every body and every mind. We kick off on Monday October 20 at 10 a.m. ET with Tammah Watts, host of Mindful Monday Meditations with the birds, who will help us welcome Birdability Week and set a tone of presence, care, and belonging for the days ahead. Each day of Birdability Week we will have a different birder share the birds (and their favorite accessible spots) from their own community.
Monday, October 20 – 7:00 PM ET
This is Your Brain on Birds Programming: A Conversation About Pain with Dr. Rachel Zoffness
Register Here
Kick off Birdability Week 2025 with an insightful conversation between Birdability Captain Jayme Boucher and Dr. Rachel Zoffness, a pain scientist, clinician, international speaker, author, and thought-leader in pain medicine who is reshaping how the world understands and treats pain. Learn about Dr. Zoffness and her groundbreaking work at the intersection of science, medicine, and human experience as we explore how her insights can help people with chronic pain live fuller, more connected lives on and off the birding trail. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the session using this link by September 20, 2025. This event will NOT be recorded, so make sure to join us live!
Tuesday, October 21 – 3:00 PM ET
Accessibility in Conservation Panel
Register Here
“Conservation is not complete without accessibility.” Hear from Birdability Captains from our Birdability Captains Conservation Corps who work as park rangers, Nature Center educators, Audubon Center managers, and other conservation professionals committed to advancing access and inclusion. Panelists will share their experiences, challenges, and successes in making the outdoors more welcoming for disabled visitors, colleagues, and community members.
Tuesday, October 21 – 7:00 PM ET
Car Birding in Rhode Island and Beyond
Register Here
Car birding is often accessible because it removes or reduces many of the physical and environmental barriers that some birders face. If you are a beginner or a seasoned car birder who wants to find new spots to car bird, this talk is for you. It will review how to get started with equipment, software & vehicle features. Explore how to find productive car birding spots using Rhode Island and several other states as examples. The goal of this webinar is to take your car birding to the next level.
Wednesday, October 22 – 7:00 PM ET
Birding and Belonging: A Panel About Accessible Birding While Using a Wheelchair
Register Here
Join Birdability’s Founder and Captains from across the country for a conversation about what makes birding truly accessible for them as wheelchair users. Panelists will share their experiences, the barriers they’ve faced, and the creative solutions that have opened doors for more people to find belonging in the birding community. This interactive discussion will highlight the power of inclusive practices and the joy that comes from ensuring everyone has a place in birding.
Thursday, October 23 – 2:00 PM ET
Social Field Safety Workshop by Field Inclusive
Register Here
When it comes to experiencing the outdoors, not everyone’s experiences are equal, and marginalized individuals face unique challenges when working outdoors. People from minority backgrounds – including those historically marginalized by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, or religion – are at an elevated risk of harassment, conflict, or even harm while conducting fieldwork. Everyone deserves a safe and inclusive fieldwork environment, and this workshop aims to raise awareness of these risks and to provide strategies to make natural resource fields supportive, safe, and inclusive environments for all field professionals. This workshop is limited to the first 50 participants who register and will NOT be recorded.
Thursday, October 23 – 7:00 PM ET
Bird-a-Thons and Belonging: Stories from the Blind Birder Community
Register Here
Discover how a shared love of birds can unite people across borders and experiences. The Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon brings together blind and low-vision birders for a celebration of birds, connection, joy, and community. Hear from organizers and participants of the 2025 event as they share stories of belonging, impact, and birding while blind. Learn about the plans for the 2026 international event and how you can be part of this growing movement, whether blind or sighted!
Friday, October 24 – 7:00 PM ET
Accessible Nature Journaling Workshop
Register Here
Join Birdability Captains Emily Nichols and Cassandra Dean for a fun and welcoming nature journaling session that is open to everyone, whether you’re indoors or outside! In this one-hour event, we’ll share simple journaling prompts that spark curiosity, reflection, and joy as we connect with the natural world together. You’ll have a chance to try a journaling activity during the session and reflect with others in community. We’ll highlight accessible tools and adaptive art supplies so everyone can participate in their own way with no art or journaling experience needed! Come discover the wonderful and wild world around you, and see how journaling can help you feel more connected to nature, yourself, and others during Birdability Week 2025.
Saturday & Sunday, October 25–26
Bird(ability) Your Way! Weekend
Bird(ability) Your Way Weekend encourages participants to bird in any way YOU like to bird, whether it's a “big sit,” car birding, listening for backyard birds, alone, or with a group at an accessible outing. We will share photos and sightings from these events to help build community and awareness of the incredible diversity of birders. Tag us on social media @birdability or send your observations to cat@birdability.org to be included in our round-up of Bird(ability) Your Way community!
Saturday, October 25 – 4:00 PM ET
You Belong Here: Joy, Belonging & Community Through Birding with Dexter Patterson
Register Here
Join Dexter Patterson, aka the Wisco Birder, for an energizing Birdability Week keynote that celebrates the joy of birding and the power of belonging. Dexter’s work centers on making the outdoors more inclusive and accessible because nature is for everyone - including you! Through stories, laughter, and a deep love for birds, he reminds us that birding can connect us, heal us, and create community for *every* body.
Sunday, October 26 – 4:00 PM ET
Birdability Week Celebration + Photo/Video Contest Winners Announced
Register Here
Join us as we wrap up Birdability Week with community, connection, and celebration. We’ll highlight the joy and creativity of our community by announcing the winners of the Offbeat Photo & Video Contest, sharing their submissions, and honoring the many ways disabled birders and allies are making birding more inclusive. This closing session is the perfect way to celebrate belonging, bird joy, and the growing Birdability movement.
Our Birdability Week Offbeat Photography + Video Contest is still OPEN. We are accepting submissions now through September 15, 2025 HERE. Share your funniest, blurriest, and most unexpected photos and feeder cam videos with us and win amazing prizes from Birdfy!
We are deeply grateful to the more than 20 organizations, businesses, and individuals who have come together to sponsor Birdability Week 2025. Their generosity makes this celebration possible — and supports Birdability’s work all year long to ensure that birding and the outdoors are truly for everyone and every mind.
Golden Eagle Sponsor
Northern Cardinal Sponsors
Eastern Bluebird Sponsors
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Sponsors
Individual Sponsors
Accessible Outings
Looking for an accessible event near you during Birdability Week 2025, or interested in hosting one yourself? We’d love for you to be part of the celebration! If you’re planning an accessible outing or event, please share the details with us through this submission form. All submitted events will be added to our Birdability Week Map, which will go live on October 1st so everyone can find opportunities to bird in community. Not sure where to start? We’ve gathered a wealth of resources on our website to help you create an inclusive and accessible event. And you’re always welcome to reach out directly to info@birdability.org for support as you plan your Birdability Week celebration.
Help Us Spread the Word about Birdability Week!
Want to help spread the word about Birdability Week 2025? We’ve created a Social Media Toolkit filled with sample posts, key messages, hashtags, accessibility tips, and more to make sharing easy. Whether you’re posting on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Bluesky, you’ll find ready-to-use content and guidance to uplift Birdability Week in your community. Every share helps us reach more people with the message that birding is for every body and every mind.
The Birdability Store is open and
Birdability Week shirts are HERE!
We’re excited to share the launch of our updated Birdability Storefront, now featuring brand-new Birdability Week 2025 shirts and hoodies, along with all your old favorites. And for the first time, we’re offering Birdability tote bags so you can carry your bird joy with you wherever you go.
Every purchase supports Birdability’s mission to make birding accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for every body and every mind.