Early registration discount through Dec. 31, 2025

FREE CONTINUING EDUCATION LEARNING CREDITS AVAILABLE

Building Access from the Ground Up: A Roadmap for Small and Rural Outdoor Recreation Communities

Four 90-minute VIDEO CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Tuesdays, March 10-31, 2026 • 10:30-12 PT/1:30-3 PM ET

 

All over the country, communities are investing in accessible outdoor recreation — from Oregon’s statewide accessible recreation initiative to adaptive equipment programs in Arkansas to new all-abilities trails, launches, and parks in small towns across the nation. Accessibility is fast becoming central to quality outdoor recreation, community pride, and visitor appeal.

Building Access from the Ground Up helps rural and small communities learn from this growing movement — gaining inspiration from real examples, adapting what works, and innovating to meet local needs. You’ll explore what accessibility means in outdoor settings, how to assess where you are now, and how to plan, design, and operate accessible recreation infrastructure and experiences. You’ll also learn how to prepare your community — from front-line workers to local businesses and volunteers — to welcome visitors of all abilities with confidence and care.

As with all Harbinger courses, Building Access from the Ground Up emphasizes practical tools and peer learning. Participants share ideas and lessons learned with others facing similar opportunities and constraints, building a network of peers and allies in accessible outdoor recreation. Through real-world examples, self-assessment tools, and frameworks for turning insight into progress, you’ll leave with an action plan for your own community — focused on realistic next steps that expand access, strengthen tourism, and open the outdoors to all.

What You’ll Learn

  • How accessible outdoor recreation connects to community, economic, and tourism development goals

  • What’s happening in the U.S. and Canada in accessible outdoor recreation — and how your community can join the movement

  • How to assess your current level of accessibility using practical self-audit tools

  • Design principles and adaptive equipment options for accessible trails, launches, and recreation sites

  • How to develop accessible programs, tours, and visitor experiences

  • Strategies for preparing frontline workers, businesses, and guides to welcome all visitors

  • How to communicate accessibility information clearly and accurately

  • Strategies for collective planning with residents of all abilities

  • Tools for measuring progress and sustaining momentum over time

Who should attend

  • Community and economic development professionals

  • Trail organizations, park districts, and recreation providers

  • Tourism offices, chambers of commerce, and destination marketing organizations

  • Local government and nonprofit staff

  • Business owners, hospitality providers and community volunteers interested in expanding access and inclusion

  • Trail advocacy & recreation organizations

  • Main Street & downtown development groups

  • Rural community leaders interested in outdoor recreation development

     

Four sessions

Session 1 — Understanding the Opportunity and Assessing Where You Are Now

Explore the growing movement toward accessible outdoor recreation and what it means for small and rural communities. Learn from examples across the country, then take a realistic look at your own community’s starting point using a simple assessment framework.
Homework: Use one of the provided self-assessment tools in your community.

Key Takeaways:

  • The social, economic, and market value of accessibility

  • A framework for evaluating your community’s current readiness

  • Quick-win ideas for getting started

Session 2 — From Assessment to Action: Designing for Access and participation

Discuss what you discovered during your local assessments, then move into practical strategies for design and development. Learn how to plan or retrofit trails, launches, and facilities for accessibility, choose adaptive equipment, and build partnerships that make access sustainable.

Key Takeaways:

  • Translating assessments into priorities and design strategies

  • Trail, launch, and facility design principles for accessibility

  • Adaptive equipment options and partnership models

Session 3 — Creating Accessible Experiences and Preparing Your Community

Accessibility extends beyond infrastructure. Learn how to create welcoming experiences for visitors and residents, prepare local businesses and frontline workers to share accurate information, and ensure your community consistently welcomes everyone.

Key Takeaways:

  • What accessibility means in service, information, and visitor experience

  • Training and outreach for tourism staff and volunteers

  • Templates for accessible visitor information and communication

Session 4 — Engaging, Communicating, and Sustaining Progress

Tie everything together by focusing on engagement, communication, and long-term success. Explore how to forge partnerships across different disabilities and abilities, measure results, and sustain momentum through funding, marketing, and collaboration.

Key Takeaways:

  • Engaging people with disabilities as leaders, advisors and ambassadors

  • Communicating about accessibility honestly and effectively

  • Measuring progress and maintaining partnerships and funding

 

PLUS ONE-ON-ONE COACHING

Your registration fee includes a one-hour post-course, one-on-one or team consultation session to address your particular situation and needs. If you are taking advantage of a group discount, the team consultation applies.

Course Instructor

Michele Archie is a principal of The Harbinger Consultancy. Her integrated approach to outdoor recreation community and economic development is built on 30 years of experience with community engagement and economic development, community-led tourism initiatives and destination stewardship in rural and outdoor recreation communities. See Michele on LinkedIn, and learn more right here at HarbingerConsult.com. 

 

Session Dates and Times

Four live 90-minute weekly video conference sessions

  

Fees & Details

  • Every class will be presented live and available for replay in case you need to miss a session or want to review.

  • $525 regular course fee/$425 early registration discount through Dec. 31, 2025

  • Group rates for two or more participants from the same organization or community — $425 per person regular group rate/$375 early registration discount.

  • Organizational and other special discount codes offer a discount in addition to early registration and group rates.

Free continuing education Learning Credits

Through a partnership with American Trails, Harbinger is offering free learning credits for this and selected other courses. Credits are available by request, at no charge beyond the course registration fee, contingent on completing the entire course and a brief post-course quiz. American Trails is a certified provider, and you may request credits for:

  • American Institute of Certified Planners Continuing Maintenance (AICP CM)

  • Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES PDH)

  • CEU/PDH equivalency petition for other accepting organizations

This course provides 6.00 CM | 6.00 LA CES HSW | 0.60 CEU/6.00 PDH Equivalency Petition

 

Register for Building Access from the Ground Up
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