Birding, Without Barriers: A Weekend of Inclusion Spreads Across America

Image description: A group of thirteen people, several using wheelchairs, gather outdoors on a paved path surrounded by trees and bright sky. They look upward with excitement, some pointing or holding binoculars as they birdwatch together. The group includes people of different ages, genders, and body types, dressed casually in warm-weather clothing. The mood is joyful and communal, capturing shared wonder and connection during an accessible birding outing.

On a crisp October weekend, from the salt marshes of Cape May to the foothills of the Rockies, and from the quiet trails of Indiana to the hawk-soaring ridges of Pennsylvania, people are gathering to reimagine who birding is for.

Between October 24 and 26, more than sixty accessible and inclusive birding events will take place across the United States under the banner of Bird(ability) Your Way Weekend, part of the fifth annual Birdability Week,  and organized by more than 60 partners across the country and beyond. The celebration invites people to experience birds — and community — in whatever ways are most accessible to them.

“There are as many ways to bird as there are people,” said Cat Fribley, Birdability’s executive director. “That’s the heart of this work  -belonging, not just participation.”

A Nationwide Movement, One Accessible Trail at a Time

The map of this year’s events reads like an atlas of inclusion. In Minnesota, the Land of Lakes Bird Alliance host a Guided Birding for People with Mobility Challenges outing at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. In Alabama, birders gather at Birmingham’s Avondale Park for a Celebrating Birdability Week walk led by Alabama Audubon.

Farther west, at Tucson’s Fort Lowell Park, the Seated Accessible Bird Outing is focused on drawing a crowd of wheelchair users and blind birders. In Colorado Springs, local partners have organized an Accessible Birding Big Sit at Fountain Creek Nature Center - one of several stationary “Big Sits” being held across the country for birders who prefer a comfortable, stable perch.

In Pennsylvania, the legendary Hawk Mountain Sanctuary opens its trails for an Accessible Raptor Migration Watch, inviting visitors to witness the fall hawk migration from an ADA-accessible overlook. And in Rhode Island, the South Kingstown Land Trust and Ocean State Bird Club are hosting a Birding for Every Body walk through the state’s coastal habitat - one of thirteen accessible outings held in the smallest state in the country.

These aren’t isolated events. They are nodes in a network of 110+ Birdability Week outings, 70+ of which take place, starting today,  during the culminating weekend. From Oregon’s Sunriver Nature Center to Charleston Audubon’s “Birds and Belonging” walk in South Carolina, participants will find community in parking lots, boardwalks, backyards, and even cars.

More Than Recreation

Birdability’s efforts are rooted in a broader idea: that nature is not inherently inclusive, but it can be intentionally designed to be. The organization, founded by Austin birder Virginia Rose and now led by Fribley, works to break down physical, mental, and social barriers that keep people with disabilities and other access challenges from participating in outdoor recreation.

Image description: Three women birding together (including Rose in middle using wheelchair and Fribley using crutch and standing to the right) stand and sit along a sunlit dirt path bordered by green trees and grass. Virginia Rose uses a wheelchair and looks up through binoculars; Ann Marie from Travis Audubon beside her laughing and gazing upward; Cat Fribley uses a forearm crutch and holds up a small device, possibly a bird call or phone, while smiling toward the sky. They appear joyful and engaged, sharing a moment of connection and discovery in nature. Photo by Mike Fernandez, NAS

According to a 2020 survey by Birdability, the most common barriers to birding include uneven terrain, lack of accessible restrooms, and limited sensory information on signage and maps. For some, accessible birding means paved trails and adaptive mobility equipment; for others, it means the option to stay seated, listen to birdsong, or participate virtually.

“It’s about agency,” said Fribley. “Birding is not a test of endurance. It’s a doorway into wonder,  and everyone deserves a key.”

A Culture Shift in Conservation

Organizations like Alabama Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have joined Birdability in expanding their own accessibility programs, adding tactile maps, captioned webinars, and inclusive events to their calendars. The network now includes more than a hundred “Birdability Captains”,  volunteers working locally to advocate for access, introduce people with disabilities to birding, and evaluate and promote accessible birding sites on the Birdability Map, an interactive online tool co-developed with the National Audubon Society.

The cultural ripple effect is growing. Local Audubon chapters, nature centers, and land trusts are learning to design events that consider wheelchair users, neurodivergent participants, and birders with sensory disabilities. “It’s the kind of quiet revolution that doesn’t always make headlines,” said Fribley, “but it changes lives.”

A Weekend of Belonging

Image description: Two people are birding beneath a wooden shelter on a sunny day. One person sits in a wheelchair beside a spotting scope on a tripod, while the other stands nearby, both facing toward a marshland filled with tall grasses and water. Sunlight streams through the beams above, casting long shadows and creating a warm glow over the scene. The setting feels calm and reflective, highlighting connection, access, and shared appreciation of nature.

Even before the weekend, photos poured in from across the country from Birdability Week events: a wheelchair user scanning the horizon for birds in Iowa City, IA while using a scope for the first time; a Deaf birder signing the name of a bird to a companion in Washington, D.C.; a Birdability Captain in Rhode Island using a John Deere Gator to give a birding tour to a participant with a mobility disability at a land trust; a person in a power wheelchair surrounded by other wheelchair users holding binoculars up to a blue sky in Texas.

All birding our way; together even when we are spread across North America and beyond.

As Birdability Week 2025 starts it’s inevitable movement to a close, Fribley reflected on what this growing movement means. “Access is the beginning,” she said. “Belonging is the goal.”