Hong Kong charity wants more access for wheelchair users in city and in nature
Parks and Trails works with wheelchair users to identify wheelchair-friendly trails and Operation Santa Claus funding will help it expand programme
A Hong Kong Paralympic gold medallist’s recent experience of discrimination at a restaurant has focused attention on a problem that mainstream society often overlooks – the lack of public access for people with disabilities.
For local charity Parks and Trails, the experience of boccia champion Ho Yuen-kei was painfully all too common, and accessibility issues were not limited to urban areas but extended to the countryside, where its efforts were focused.
The charity was founded as a digital platform, TrailWatch app, in 2014. It provides information, tracking and incident reporting for hikers, and now has more than 200,000 registered users.
“The founders are very experienced hikers, hiking for decades. They felt trails are very beautiful and accessible to most people, but there were still barriers for wheelchair users,” CEO Agnes Cheng Ming-wai said.
They decided to do something about the problem.
In 2021, Parks and Trails launched its Accessible Trails programme – the first study in Hong Kong on which trails in the city’s 25 country parks are suitable for wheelchair users in terms of gradient, safety and amenities.
