Watch and Listen
Short Videos
This Expansive Adventure interviewed Birdability’s Virginia Rose and Freya McGregor as part of their Barriers to the Outdoors series, April 2021.
Birdability Week 2020 Kickoff Video, featuring birders on accessible trails around the US. Produced by National Audubon Society in October 2020.
Virginia Rose telling the story of how she started birding and why she began Birdability. Produced by National Audubon Society in May 2018.
Come out on a Birding without Barriers outing, hosted by Denver Audubon in February 2020.
Come along on an accessible bird outing to Sweetwater Wetlands with Tucson Audubon and Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports.
Webinars and Audio Recordings
Panel discussion entitled Accessible Birding: Connecting with Nature Beyond Disabilities, hosted by Toronto Public Library. Facilitated by Andrés Jiménez and featuring guests Virginia Rose, Jerry Berrier and Freya McGregor, held on October 16 2020. A follow-up blog from Andrés can be found here.
Birdability Week 2020 panel entitled Birdability: Perspectives on Access from the Field. Hosted by Freya McGregor and featuring six birders who experience accessibility challenges, including Virginia Rose. Panelists include two wheelchair users, one who is totally blind, one who has Type 1 Diabetes and Autism, one who birded extensively with her best friend who had multiple sclerosis, and one who’s been collaborating with a rehabilitation hospital to hold accessible bird outings. Held on October 21 2020 with support from National Audubon Society.
Birdability Week 2020 webinar entitled Birdability: Access is for Everybody! Hosted by Virginia Rose addressing her experiences as a birder who uses a wheelchair user, how she began Birdability, and the factors to consider when determining if a trail really is accessible. Held on October 22 2020 with support from National Audubon Society.
More
Autistic Portlander finds inspiration and comfort in ornithology. Interview on OBP, May 2021.
For birders with high frequency hearing loss, the podcast Songbirding releases a modified version of their show called Songbirding Under 5KHz.
Two short videos created by Mike Fernandez at National Audubon about birding and American Sign Language:
Virginia Rose Talks Birdability on National Audubon EDI Webinar: Audio recording courtesy of Travis Audubon Society from January 2019.
Boulder Accessible Trails Videos produced by wheelchair user Topher Downham of him accessing and reviewing accessible trails in Boulder, Colorado. See also Boulder OSMP Accessible Trails & Sites for more trail descriptions. (Note: scroll down to find the Accessible Trails -- Videos section of the website.)
Recorded webinar entitled Disability Sensitivity, Accessibility, & Inclusion, presented by David Jones of the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association, who was shot in a hunting accident, which resulted in a serious head injury, permanent paralysis of his left leg and no use of his left hand. Initially he used a wheelchair; now he walks with a slight limp without an assistive device. (You can read more about David’s story here.) Hosted by Apalachee Audubon on October 15 2020.
Listen to the radio show and podcast Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds from October 18 2020, with special guest Virginia Rose discussing Birdability Week: Show #802 Oct. 18, 2020 — Ray Brown's Talkin' Birds
Audubon’s Society’s Birdability Program Helps Spread Joy of Birding To People With Disabilities: Birdability founder Virginia Rose appeared on the Arizona radio station KJZZ 91.5 on October 30 2020.
Accessibility Is Cool: Short videos created by Rooted in Rights that explain the importance of and how to use alternative text, audio descriptions, transcripts and video captions, especially important for accessibility for users who are blind or have low vision and use screen reader software.
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Photo in page header: Freya McGregor. Taken at Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, overlooking the White Mountains National Forest.