Chronically Ill & Disabled
Outdoor Lovers!
Attention:
“I am looking for some folks to participate in a short video I'm making for Explore Austin, a nonprofit organization that is hosting an event for Great Outdoors Month in June with a focus on body diversity and accessibility in the outdoors.
My 5 minute video will introduce the audience to this topic. To make the biggest impact, I would love to include others in our community to show that disabled people enjoy the outdoors too!
Your participation would entail recording a video of yourself and, if selected, would be included in a compilation of disabled folks sharing what they love about the outdoors and what makes outdoor spaces accessible for them.
Whether you enjoy long distance hiking or birdwatching from your crip nest, have apparent or non-apparent disabilities or chronic illnesses, all are welcome and encouraged to participate!
Go to disabledinthewild.com/explore-austin-video or click the link in my bio for more information.”
About
Explore Austin is a nonprofit organization that uses "mentoring, leadership, and outdoor adventure to empower youth from economically disadvantaged communities to reach their full potential in Austin, Texas." It is "a leadership-based outdoor adventure curriculum coupled with social-emotional learning components and long-term mentoring... creating lifelong growth in character, integrity, courage, and grit."
Explore Austin
This year's theme is body diversity and accessibility in the outdoors - what those terms mean, why they're important, what the barriers currently are, etc. I will be making a 5 minute video to introduce the topic before the guest panel speaks.
The Event
The video will start with a compilation of disabled people sharing what they love about the outdoors and what makes outdoor spaces accessible for them, followed by a montage of those folks enjoying the outdoors as I narrate and explain a few key points to bring it all together.
My Vision
Your Participation
Record a video of yourself answering the following questions.
1. What do you like to do outdoors?
Examples: "I love birdwatching at the nearby wildlife refuge!" "My favorite outdoor activity is hiking", "I enjoy picnicking at the park!" or give a list: "Biking, kayaking, and wildlife photography."
2. What makes an outdoor space more accessible for you and why?
Examples: "I struggle with long walks, so it helps me to be able to sit on a bench and take a break", "I need to use trails that have few obstacles and elevation changes, because I have chronic fatigue and footdrop", "I have low vision so I need the trails to be very clearly marked ", "I'm a wheelchair user, so I need van-accessible parking", "I have a bladder condition and need a public restroom nearby at all times". (Note: Feel free to share the name of your symptoms or medical condition, but this is not a requirement. It's okay to be vague and only state what you look for in an outdoor space.)
3. Say "Every body belongs outdoors!"
Say it with a smile, say it with confidence, yell it with friends- whatever feels right for you!
4. Bonus/optional:
If you are able to, please also include a 5-20 second video of you enjoying the outdoors. This can be an old video you already have on hand, or you can record a new one! Examples: hiking, fishing, biking, kayaking, birdwatching, sitting on a park bench, sitting in your backyard, laying in bed looking outside, driving through a state/national park, laying in a hammock, rockhounding, camping, outdoor cooking, sitting at the beach, doing wildlife photography, etc.
Additional Tips and Instructions
Use landscape mode (horizontal) for both the question and bonus video
Recording your video outside is encouraged/preferred, but not required
Record your video in a quiet setting with minimal background noise
You can record this video alone or with a friend, partner, or group!
Keep it short and sweet with one or two sentence answers
I'm going to splice clips together, so feel free to respond to one question at a time and take a moment in between thoughts. It doesn't have to be perfect- I can edit around your answers.
Don't be afraid to show your personality! But also don't be afraid to show your illness- chronic pain face is totally fine.
The question portion and optional "enjoying the outdoors" portion can be submitted separately in two videos or together in one video
How to Submit Your Video
Let me know via email or Instagram message if you'd like to submit a video, and I will send you a link to the site where you can upload your video. For privacy and security reasons, we decided not to post the link publicly. Apologies for the inconvenience!
Deadline for submitting videos is May 16th
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Email me at disabledinthewild@gmail.com
Final notes/disclaimers:
This video will only be 5 minutes long, so I likely won't be able to use everyone's video. I am hoping to show a variety of disabilities, outdoor activities, and access needs so that as many people are represented as possible. If your video is not used, please know it's likely only due to limited time and redundancy.
If your video is used, it will be shown to several hundred people at a conference and then be posted to YouTube. I won't have control over where the video is posted once it has been sent in, so please keep this in mind as you consider participating in the video!
