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Welcome to Oldham Wheelchair Travel Tel: 07563248958

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Oldham NHS Wheelchair Service

What services do we provide.

The Oldham NHS wheelchair service provides assessments for people with mobility and other postural problems, supplying wheelchairs, pressure care cushions and accessories for wheelchairs within Oldham, Tameside, Stockport and Glossop.  

Assessments

We provide assessments at the Dudley Wheelchair Service Centre in Brierley Hill.

Custom Seating

We offer a more specialised service for those with more complex postural needs.

• Personal Wheelchair Budgets

A Personal Wheelchair Budget, or PWB, is available to eligible service users, to support wider wheelchair choice within NHS commissioned services. Click here to learn more about PWB

Repairs & Maintenance

We provide a flexible repair and maintenance service to keep your wheelchair in good working order.

Eligibility and Referrals to the Wheelchair Service

New to the wheelchair service.

If you have never used the Wheelchair Service before, you will need a referral from a qualified healthcare professional. This could be your:

• General Practitioner (GP)
• Occupational Therapist / Physiotherapist
• Hospital Consultant

If you are a healthcare professional and want to refer to our service, please request a copy of our Referral Form.

If you are a GP and want to refer to our service for a manual wheelchair only you can also request a referral from from us. This form is also imbedded into the GP databases.

Alternatively a face to face assessment may be required and will be held at our Service Centre in Hyde, Cheshire.

Already known to the Wheelchair Service?

If you are already known to the Wheelchair Service and have equipment on loan from us, you can request a reassessment of your needs. We may need to ask a healthcare practitioner to complete a new referral form in some circumstances.

Alternatively, you can call the Service Centre who will support your request.

Receipt of Referral

When we have received your referral, a member of our clinical team will review the information provided. All referrals are prioritised according to the Oldham NHS Wheelchair Service specification and criteria.

We may need to contact you or the professional that referred you to find out more information or discuss your needs. We will then arrange one of the following options for you:

• Issue of a suitable wheelchair, handed over by one of our field service engineers, without the need to see a clinician.
• Your name will be added to the appropriate waiting list for further assessment of your specific needs.
• If you are not eligible for provision of equipment from our service, you will receive a further letter advising you of this.

Short Term Loan

If you require a wheelchair for short term and you do not meet the eligibility criteria, please contact British Red Cross by clicking the box below:

Useful Links

Service User and Carer Information

Children's Service Information

Information for Healthcare Professionals

News and Updates

Frequently asked questions

About Our Service Centres

We provide the Wheelchair Service from our service centre in  Hyde, Cheshire.

There is an accessible disabled parking area.

We have waiting areas with water coolers, but please bring any snacks or drinks you are likely to need. We have accessible toilets with a ceiling track hoist. Our clinic rooms have hoists and medical plinths. Clinic rooms are air conditioned. 

Opening Times

Clinical services are open:  Monday to Friday 8.30am - 4.30pm

Location and Contact

We have included interactive maps below. You can click on these maps to get directions if you’re driving or using public transport.

We are unable to provide transport, however you can arrange transport through your GP. 

Please contact us if you need help to arrange your journey. We can provide you with directions in different formats or extra guidance.

Oldham NHS Wheelchair Services:

Unit 8, Hyde Point Dunkirk Lane, Hyde Cheshire SK14 4NL

Telephone:  0161 509 0091

Email: oldham [email protected]

What3words: hills.donor.beats

Wheelchair Repairs

If you would like to request a wheelchair repair, please call 0161 344 0482.

We will make an appointment to attend your location for a repair within 5 days. Acquiring replacement parts for some complex chairs may require completion to take a little longer.

Out of hours Emergency Repair Service

If you have an emergency repair that needs attending to outside of normal working hours, please also call 0161 344 0482.

You will be directed to the out-of-hours service team, who will be happy to assist you.

Providing Feedback

We are always pleased to hear positive experiences or suggestions from our service users and colleagues. All feedback is used to help improve the service.

If you attend an appointment with us, please complete an NHS Friends & Family survey. You can complete this in the service or online, please click the button below to watch a short YouTube video with more information:

YouTube guide to the NHS feedback form

We are committed to service user involvement in the effective design and delivery of our service. If you would like to be involved, please contact us via the link.

You can also provide feedback to any member of our staff, at any time, or by using any of the contact methods on this page.

If you would like to send a ‘thank you’ compliment to the team, please use the form at the bottom of this page. These messages let us know when things are working well – we share best practices across the UK, helping to improve wheelchair services. Your message will be shared with the appropriate members of our team.

If you have not received the level of service you expect from us, then we want you to tell us as soon as possible. By doing so, you can help us get to the bottom of the problem quickly and effectively. We take your concerns and complaints very seriously, and they are always treated in the strictest of confidence. We will investigate your concerns as quickly as possible, and work with you to find an appropriate solution.

We encourage you to provide your feedback directly to the Wheelchair Service in the first instance, as this will allow us to complete our investigations more quickly. If we cannot resolve the situation to your satisfaction, you can choose to refer the matter to our head office using the details here .

Connect with us on Social Media

Send us a Message

You can use this form to send us a message directly. A member of the team will be in touch as soon as possible. If you are an existing service user, please include your post code to help us locate your records. Please do not include any sensitive personal or medical information in this form.

Please click on the links here for further information and Frequently Asked Questions

• Service user and carer information
• Children's Wheelchair Service Information
• Information for Healthcare Practitioners

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• 2-6 Huddersfield Road

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• Car Parking Available
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I’m a wheelchair user: How easily can I travel around Moscow and St. Petersburg?

Ok, so my plane has landed. Should I start to worry?

Waiting area in Pulkovo airport, St. Petersburg

No way. Actually airports in Russia are probably the most disabled friendly areas – there are even special waiting rooms.

When you check in at the airport before boarding the plane you should tell the staff about your needs: They will organize everything at both ends, so when you land in Russia there will be someone waiting for you to drive you to the luggage collection etc.

Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow

All airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg have special services assisting passengers during all stages of travel. When you fly back you can request special services in advance by phone or by submitting an application on the airports’ websites: Sheremetyevo , Domodedovo , Vnukovo and Zhukovsky in Moscow and Pulkovo in St. Petersburg.

How can I get from the airport to the city?

Aeroexpress train

The easiest way to get to Moscow from Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Sheremetyevo is the Aeroexpress, a train that sets off from the airport and arrives in the city center 30-45 minutes (depends on the airport) later. You can request a personal assistant on their website . “All the trains are equipped with special carriages, adapted for physically challenged passengers in wheelchairs,” the website says.

Zhukovsky Airport has no Aeroexpress as of yet, so the best way is to order a taxi (read below). The airport's employees will help you to get to where the taxi pulls up. At the moment there aren’t very many flights to Zhukovsky so it’s unlikely you’ll need this info.

All the buses traveling between St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport and the city are equipped with special ramps to help people in wheelchairs get on and off.

Is it possible to use the Metro? I’ve heard it’s beautiful

Passenger Mobility Centre staff

Yes , the Metro is frequently called an underground museum and it’s also quite a friendly place for disabled people. New stations (that are mainly on the outskirts) are equipped with special lifts. But in the center where most stations were built from the 1930s to 1950s it can be a bit challenging getting around in a wheelchair or on crutches.  

But there is a service (that’s not very well known): It can help you get into the Metro, explain how to buy tickets, plan your journey, etc. If you speak Russian you can make an online application on the website or via its mobile app . If you only speak English, dial these numbers for free +7 495 622-73-41 or +7 800 250-73-41.

All the stations of St. Petersburg’s Metro are equipped with special lifts for the less able bodied . There is also a special escort service that can be booked for free via phone on +7 800 350-11-55. For more information and photos of the equipment, visit the St. Petersburg Metro ’s website.  

What about other public transport?

A driver checks the operation of a wheelchair ramp

Not all overground public transport is adapted for people with special needs. Yes, there are now lots of new city buses equipped with ramps, but still not everywhere. While the most popular forms of transport in the center are trolleybuses and trams, some of them have no ramps. In this case the driver should assist people with special needs. But we can’t guarantee this.

Can I get a taxi?

Most taxi services arrange not only transfers but also guided tours

Most services offer door-to-door escort, climbing and descending stairs, including in houses without elevators, though some taxi companies can ask for extra payment in some cases. It’s always better to order these taxis in advance (ideally several hours before your journey).

In Moscow there’s a city's social taxi (link in Russian) service – you can email [email protected] or call +7 495 951-77-68. It's even available for a group of people with limited mobility.

There’s also the Invataxis service that even provides a wheelchair free of charge. You can order online or call +7 495 580-60-64 or +7 495 504-39-90 (available for English speakers). Invataxi also arranges guided tours in English for disabled people (both for groups and individuals). The price is flexible depending on the circumstances, transfers from the airport costs 4,000 rubles ($70).

In St. Petersburg there are also several taxi services for people on wheels and groups with disabilities.  By the way Invataxis is available in St. Petersburg too.

Taxovichkof taxi service has a website in English, so you can easily book online or call +7 812 330-00-02, there is a range of services drivers offer. The price starts from 1,200 rubles ($21).

There is another taxi operator, Glavtaxi (website in Russian), you can book online, download the app, or call +7 812 338-82-12. You can also ask for an English-speaking driver. The price starts from 1,300 rubles ($23).

Is it possible to travel around the streets on my wheels?

Both Moscow and St. Petersburg have many pedestrian zones

There are many pedestrian zones in both cities. There is a website offering a map of Moscow’s barrier-free streets, restaurants, cultural sights, public toilets, and more. Unfortunately for now it’s only in Russian, but anyone in the street will usually be happy to point on the map where you need to go.

St. Petersburg offers special guided tours for low mobility tourists. While the whole of Nevsky Prospect is a wheelchair friendly zone.

Are there museums I can visit without problems?

A charitable guided tour hosted by the State Russian Museum on the Day of Disabled Persons

All the main museums are equipped with everything a wheelchair needs to get around easily.  

In Moscow you can visit the Tretyakov Gallery (both the old building on Lavrushinsky Lane and the new building housing 20th century art on Krymsky Val). By the way read our article about 10 must-see paintings exhibited in the gallery if you are short on time .

The Museum of Moscow, Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Planetarium, Bulgakov Museum, and others are well equipped for wheelchair users.

St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, State Russian Museum, and Faberge Museum are also decked out with ramps and elevators.

Ok, good news about the museums. But what else can I do?

Lots of theaters, cinemas, and restaurants are disabled-friendly

Thousands of disabled tourists visit Moscow and St. Petersburg each year, and the cities are becoming more and more wheelchair friendly. Most cultural institutions and tourist facilities are trying to install the necessary equipment for people with special needs.

So it’s now possible to visit lots of theaters, cinemas, and restaurants. If you want your tour to be comfortable and hassle free it’s always better to plan in detail and contact the organizations you want to visit in advance, making sure they have everything needed to give you a warm welcome.

Looking for something original and unique to bring home from your trip to Russia? Here are 10 souvenir ideas for those tired of matryoshka dolls.

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Momentum’s future hangs in balance after co-chair resigns and quits Labour

Exclusive: Party insiders say departure of Hilary Schan could mark start of end for grassroots leftwing group

Momentum’s future is “hanging in the balance” after the leftwing grassroots group’s co-chair resigned and quit Labour to campaign for the Green party and independent candidates.

Hilary Schan said she had begun contemplating her role within Labour in October when councillors first expressed their frustrations over the leadership’s “unwillingness to show value to the humanity of Palestinian lives” .

Schan took over from Jon Lansman with co-chair Kate Dove in 2022. Her departure from the group after four years to many Labour insiders marks “the beginning of the end of hardline stubborn leftwingers” within Labour, but also the start of a new coalition of leftwing voices outside Labour.

“Momentum’s future looks pretty bleak without Hilary and will be hanging by a thread,” a leftwing Labour source said. “We should’ve campaigned for a Fabian-style membership model. The energy is not in the parliamentary sphere of the party. Momentum will be less combative to the leadership and have less of a public presence.”

Schan said she had waited until the end of the local elections campaign as she was supporting the Worthing Labour council leader, Beccy Cooper, and did not want to disrupt efforts to get the public voting.

“There’s no doubt there’s been a purge of left voices in Labour. They’ve felt the impact in Oldham, for example. Keir Starmer stood on a pledge of uniting the party, by doing this he’s alienating a large element of the party who are considering looking elsewhere ahead of the general election.”

Schan is joining the We Deserve Better campaign, which she believes will help build an alternative by electing candidates who, along with socialist Labour MPs, can “pressure Starmer to finally listen to progressive voters he has taken for granted”.

We Deserve Better, launched by the columnist Owen Jones, is seeking to mobilise the more than 200,000 people who have left Labour to campaign for socialist and pro-Palestine Green and independent candidates.

Keir Starmer on Saturday said he was determined to win back the trust of those who had rejected his party in the local elections as a result of his stance on Gaza.

“I have heard you. I have listened. And I am determined to meet your concerns and to gain your respect and trust again in the future,” he said.

The party failed to regain control of Oxford after a string of prominent defections over its messaging on the Middle East crisis, and, in a similar blow, lost control of Oldham council in Greater Manchester to independents.

Labour also lost council seats to independents in Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford, while the Workers’ party gained from it in Rochdale.

In Manchester, the Labour deputy leader of the council, Luthfur Rahman, lost his seat to Shahbaz Sarwar of George Galloway’s Workers’ party.

Momentum insiders believe at least 50 councillors linked to the group were elected during the local elections, and there remains a “significant minority” of leftwingers who are also Labour members “who can still get their voices heard” within the party.

The Guardian understands Momentum has faced internal battles on how much the group publicly criticises the party, its policies and its disciplinary and complaints process.

Voicing support for Jeremy Corbyn after he was blocked from standing as a Labour MP last year became a huge source of conflict but a number of leftwingers have expressed their shock at Momentum’s initial hesitance to express support for Diane Abbott and the length of her suspension, noting even Labour MPs who aren’t leftwingers have voiced their support for her.

A Momentum spokesperson said they’re proud to have “led the resistance to Starmer’s purge on and crackdown on party democracy including standing with Diane and Jeremy from the very beginning”.

“As Hilary leaves Momentum, we’d like to place on record our thanks for her leadership and dedicated service to our movement.

“Momentum remains focused on organising for a democratic Labour party which views its members and core voters as an asset, not an inconvenience. We will keep campaigning for real Labour policies which deliver the country the transformative change it is crying out for, instead of constant U-turns and corporate-friendly policies.”

The Labour party declined to comment.

• Keir Starmer
• Israel-Gaza war

More on this story

Momentum considers accepting members from outside the Labour party

Momentum in financial peril after leftwing exodus from Labour

Momentum founder apologises for joining Labour attack on whistleblowers

Momentum seeks 'Labour legends' to take a week off to campaign

John McDonnell backs Momentum on Barclays protest

Labour expels Jackie Walker for leaked antisemitism remarks

Momentum fined £16,700 for breaching electoral law

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A Phoenix team had its wheelchairs damaged after a flight. The airline's response? A $150 travel voucher

Members of a Phoenix-based wheelchair basketball team are speaking out after a pattern of what they consider their "freedom," their "livelihood," and their "legs" being treated as an inconvenience.

Players of the Ability360 Wheelchair Suns said they were stuck on a Southwest Airlines plane for more than two hours without their wheelchairs after they took a flight earlier this month from Phoenix to Richmond for the National Wheelchair Basketball Championships.

The problems continued off the plane.

"We watched our chairs come off of the conveyor belt off of the plane and we watched them fall off the conveyor belt onto the ground. Just chair, after chair, after chair," said Justin Walker, a player for the Wheelchair Suns.

Airport workers mishandling and damaging the wheelchairs, delays to travel and apologetic travel vouchers seem to be par for the course, team members told The Arizona Republic.

The experience is not unique to the Wheelchair Suns. Thousands of mobility device damage incidents are reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation a month.

'It's sickening, to be honest with you'

The team communicated with Southwest six months before the April 10 flight, according to Walker. There were three teams on the flight and each player would be traveling with both a sport wheelchair and an everyday chair. The return flight was scheduled for April 14.

On both the departing and returning flights, team members said they experienced long delays to get off the plane and incorrect storage of their wheelchairs that led to damage.

Walker said the airline should have known what accommodations they needed to make.

Despite that they had been in contact with the airline for half a year, not enough employees were there to help reassemble the wheelchairs they had deconstructed, he said.

"It's just sickening, to be honest with you," Walker said. "It's sickening because we know we're an inconvenience when we have two chairs, we know that. That's why we try to communicate with them as much as possible to allow the situation to be as seamless as possible."

Myranda Shields, social media manager for the Wheelchair Suns, said it wasn't like losing bags, luggage or medication. Wheelchairs serve as legs.

"It's not luggage and that is the problem, they don't look at it like, I've got 300 devices people need to live and then 200 bags under there," Shields said. "They look at it like, oh, I've got 500 bags."

In response to the incident, Southwest sent out an email to the NWBA and the coaches, but they have not reached out to the people who were on the plane, according to Walker.

In an email obtained by The Republic, the airline claimed they had been in communication with the cities involved for "well over a month" and failed on its end for "several" of the people on board.

The airline stated in the email it did not communicate with many of the people and their teams about whether it could take the wheels off the chairs, and the intent was to create more space for all baggage by removing the wheels.

For the flight home, the airline said it did not want to disappoint the team on their travel home and asked to zip tie the wheels together with nametags. It also stated it would give players the option of taking their sports chairs to the gate so the wheels could be removed there. The email acknowledged the team would be flying on a "smaller" Boeing 737-700 aircraft, which had a "smaller cargo hold area."

In a statement to The Republic, Southwest said it apologized if it had not met customer care expectations.

"We have reviewed the situation and addressed it with the appropriate parties so we are able to provide a better experience for our Customers the next time they fly with Southwest," the statement read. "We have a long history of caring for our Customers and apologize any time we don’t meet those expectations."

Walker said they were given a $150 travel voucher in an attempt to compensate for the mistreatment.

"It's a voucher to a place that's already mistreated us. Cool," Walker said. "What is $150 going to get us? Nothing. So, when our stuff is falling down and we're watching our legs, our livelihood, our freedom fall on the ground like no one cares. ... I know about disabled rights. I know if I give you my device, you are obligated by law to bring that chair back to me the way I gave it to you."

According to the Air Carrier Access Act, if an airline damages someone's wheelchair, they are completely liable, regardless of the cost.

Shields said they have not filed an official complaint because she has done it many times in the past. The Republic obtained emails confirming that on at least five occasions, the airline sent vouchers to Shields and Walker for bad experiences she said were "I'm sorry vouchers."

Now, she is taking a different approach and speaking out.

"This is a systemic problem with the airline industry and how they treat people in wheelchairs," Shields said.

"It's unreasonable to expect us to live like this whenever we want to travel and it's also unreasonable to expect us to not travel, not do the things we love to do that we are able to do, because we are in wheelchairs."

Laws are aimed to protect people with disabilities. But is it enough?

The Americans with Disabilities Act was established in 1990 to prohibit discrimination based on disabilities.

The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide assistance to people with disabilities when traveling by air, including with loading and stowing of assistive devices. In response to incidents like what the Wheelchair Suns faced, the U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing a rule to strengthen implementation of the act.

According to the Department of Transportation, airlines "mishandle" on average about 1.5% of the mobility devices they transport.

In 2022, airlines carried 741,582 wheelchairs and scooters, and there were 11,389 incidents reported to the DOT. That's an increase from 2021, when carriers transported 553,969 mobility devices and 7,239 incidents were reported, according to USA TODAY.

In the new proposal unveiled by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in February, the definition of "mishandled" devices would specify that any mishandling of wheelchairs and assistive devices by airlines is a violation that is subject to penalty. If an airline does mishandle an assistive device, they would have to immediately notify the impacted passenger of their rights.

The passenger could then file a claim with the airline, receive a loaner wheelchair or scooter with certain customizations. If necessary, the passenger would have access to a complaints resolution official and to choose a preferred vendor for device repairs or replacement.

The proposal is undergoing public comment period through May 13. Many of those comments echoed a familiar sentiment:

"I am appalled by the rampant disregard that airline employees have displayed when handling passengers' wheelchairs."

"Airlines need to be held to account for this by training and retraining staff from baggage handlers to flight attendants."

"When wheelchairs are damaged or delayed, lives are upended due to missed connections, missed experiences, missed employment, and even injuries due to inadequate loaner wheelchairs."

Players watch wheelchairs be mishandled, fall off conveyor belt

After the team got off the plane, Walker said they started to notice their tires and rims were broken.

As they were sitting down at the carousel, a message came over the loudspeaker that said there was an inconvenience with the bags on the flight because of the wheelchairs and 30 bags were left in Denver because of it.

"Now we have every person that was on that flight that was already pissed off because we were late getting there," Walker said. "Now they're pissed off looking at us."

Walker said the airline only escalated the situation and when trusted to take care of the passengers' livelihoods, they did not.

When the team flew home to Phoenix, the airline said they would zip-tie and tag the wheels so the process would flow. The wheels were zip-tied, but during their layover in Chicago, the ground crew cut the zip ties, according to a social media post Walker and Shields posted to Instagram. Players then watched as their wheelchairs fell from the conveyor belt.

On the way back, the team needed an hour and a half to get off the plane so they could match the wheels to the chairs. Chairs and axles were broken. According to Walker, everyday wheelchairs cost between $5,000 and $8,000, and basketball wheelchairs between $8,000 and $12,000.

Walker said they were told it was an inconvenience for them to bring their chairs and that they would instead be put in a standard wheelchair, typically provided by airports and hospitals.

"For you to ask me to use somebody else's wheelchair that I don't know, that is honestly like asking you to use somebody else's underwear," Walker said. "We don't know if it's been clean, we don't know what's been happening in that chair, we don't know where it came from."

Players call for 'serious' policy changes

Speaking out about the experience has been part of the team members' way to share their story and their voices, they said.

"That's why we're doing what we're doing right now is because it needs to change," Shields said. "I don't need to be crying in the airport on the way to a national tournament because I've got all these angry strangers coming over and poking at me."

Shields said the airline needs serious policy changes regarding wheelchair storage. She said she would like to be able to remove the wheels herself, attach them to the chairs and make sure they are properly tagged.

She also suggested the airline pick a bigger plane to better accompany everyone and train their staff so they know the difference between an everyday wheelchair and a sports wheelchair.

Christopher Rodriguez, Ability360's CEO, got into disability advocacy work because of his older brother TJ — who has significant intellectual and developmental disabilities.

He said he has spent his career trying to assist in breaking down barriers for those with disabilities.

Ability360 is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Through its comprehensive programs, Ability360 touches the lives of individuals with disabilities throughout Arizona and addresses the disability concerns of their family members, co-workers and employers, according to its website.

Ability360 has three adult wheelchair basketball teams that compete in Division II, Division III and the Women’s Division in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.

"It's heartbreaking to hear about these stories and to understand how frequent they are, despite the fact that our paramount piece of legislation and law that put forth the rights to accessibility, the ADA, was passed over 25 years ago," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the Southwest incident was disappointing and a horrible situation to put the athletes in.

Education needs to occur so both the workers at the airport and airline employees know the needs of individuals with disabilities and are aware of the challenges they may face, he said.

"If they fully appreciated or understood that a person's wheelchair is literally an extension of their body, perhaps they would have been more sensitive to the situation, but unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case," Rodriguez said.

After placing sixth in the tournament, the D2 Phoenix Suns season came to an end. While the men will not be playing again until next fall, travel will continue.

Shields said she is weary of traveling again but was hopeful that her next flight, which was scheduled for Wednesday, would not be as bad.

Promobility (Community transport)

Referral details, opening times, cost details, description.

Promobility provides manual and electric powered wheelchairs, and 3 & 4 wheeled mobility scooters for hire.

Promobility enables any person with limited mobility to get to all the facilities in Oldham's Town Centre with ease and enjoyment.

The service is open to anyone whether their impaired mobility is temporary or permanent.

Join Promobility

Drop in to Community Transport Oldham to fill out a registration form.

You will need:

• 2 forms of I.D displaying your name and address (one with a photograph if possible)
• 1 passport sized photograph

A member of our friendly staff will show you how to use the wheelchair or scooter if required.

Long-term wheelchair hire is also available

Annual membership is £10 (April to March) 

If you would like to become a member of Dial-a-Ride and Promobility, joint membership is available at a discounted rate of £9 a year.

Adaptive equipment is making national parks more inclusive

At Great Smoky Mountains National Park, adaptive mountain bikes and kayaks aid visitors with disabilities

New resources available at Great Smoky Mountains National Park help visitors with disabilities explore hiking trails, go mountain biking, paddle kayaks and camp overnight in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.

After launching a program of free, adaptive activities last year, the country’s most-visited national park will expand the number and type of excursions this summer.

“The programs allow individuals with disabilities and their families and community to move beyond the pavement to explore and enjoy the Smokies,” said Emily Davis, a public affairs specialist with the national park.

For its inaugural year, the national park and its partners organized three hikes and one mountain bike outing for parkgoers who use adaptive gear. This year, the program will feature three hikes, two mountain bike rides, one kayak trip and one night of backcountry camping. The outings are scheduled for select dates in June, July, September and October.

Davis said the staff receives daily emails and phone calls from people inquiring about the special excursions and adaptive equipment, which the park loans out through a separate program. She said the messages come from locals and out-of-town guests planning to vacation in the popular park. Last year, more than 13 million people visited, according to National Park Service data .

Eric Gray, founder and executive director of Catalyst Sports , one of the program’s key partners, said the nonprofit will provide three hiking chairs (plus two from the park), seven adaptive kayaks and a dozen mountain bikes, in addition to snacks and drinks. Experienced staff members and volunteers will help with the fit and handling of the gear.

“We’re trying to remove as many barriers as possible,” Gray said. “All they need to do is show up.”

Types of adaptive equipment

Catalyst’s equipment is available to anyone with a physical disability and caters to a range of special needs. Some of the kayaks and bikes are built for two, ideal for people with visual impairments.

• The organization uses three-wheel off-road trikes for people who can move their legs but have poor balance, and handcycle mountain bikes for cyclists without leg mobility. The bikes come with e-assist for powering through tough or steep terrain.
• The hiking chairs have levers (easier to push than dirt-encrusted wheels) and a front wheel for steamrolling over large obstacles.
• The kayaks have outriggers to prevent tipping, and a custom seat supports people with limited abdominal functions. Hand adaptations are tailored for amputees and others with restricted capabilities.

Participants can also bring their own gear. Folks who don’t require special assistance are invited, too.

“ It’s not just about making something accessible. It’s about making it inclusive, so that the entire family and friends can be part of it,” said Mark Bogosian, the director of engagement at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation . “By offering these kinds of programs, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is really making sure that everybody in the community has the opportunity to participate and enjoy nature and be active.”

The inclusive outdoors

National parks are becoming increasingly more welcoming to outdoor enthusiasts with mobility issues. In addition to its adaptive-friendly excursions, the Great Smoky national park has three adult-size off-road wheelchairs (and one junior chair) available for use on accessible trails. NPS volunteers meet the guest at the trailhead for a safety overview and quick tutorial. The volunteer can accompany the hikers or wait at the trailhead. Davis said the park plans to expand its fleet as well as train more volunteers for this service.

Several other NPS sites also provide all-terrain wheelchairs (e.g., Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Rocky Mountain National Park ) or beach wheelchairs ( Golden Gate National Recreation Area , Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve , Gulf Islands National Seashore ). The rentals are complimentary. Because of the limited supply, reservations are strongly recommended.

The movement is also flourishing on the state and regional levels. All-Terrain Georgia supplies all-terrain wheelchairs to more than a dozen destinations in the Peach State, including Cloudland Canyon, Panola Mountain and Cumberland Island. Tennessee State Parks and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources provide the trailblazing equipment in 13 parks each. A number of other state park departments are also onboard, including Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma and Wyoming.

“I do see the domino effect,” said Carly Pearson, the ADA coordinator in Knox County, Tenn. “Other parks are catching on.”

Pearson, a former NPS wildland firefighter who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2002, said she assisted the Knoxville nonprofit Legacy Parks Foundation in creating one of the first adaptive mountain bike trails in East Tennessee. The Independence and Freedom Trail was completed in spring 2020. She said a number of local partners have since collaborated to develop more outdoor sites that can accommodate adaptive equipment.

People with mobility issues said one of the biggest obstacles to exploring the outdoors is acquiring or accessing the specialized gear. The equipment can be prohibitively expensive. Pearson said a fully kitted-out adaptive mountain bike can cost $22,000.

“Do I want to pay for my son’s college, or do I go and selfishly buy myself a recreational piece of equipment?” she said. “I’m going to take care of my kid, of course.”

Specialized guides

Though loaner programs help adventurers overcome that hurdle, availability isn’t always enough. Depending on the individual’s capabilities, the visitor might need help settling into the equipment and navigating the unfamiliar trail or body of water. That’s where the support team comes in.

For the Great Smoky Mountains program, Gray said guests will be accompanied by experts from his team, including an adaptive mountain bike director who lives in Asheville, N.C., a hiking director who will oversee the day treks and backcountry camping trip, and an adaptive kayaking specialist from Knoxville. Park rangers will cover the educational portion of the outings, sharing ecological and historical tidbits with the group.

For backcountry camping, Gray said guests will hike for about 1½ miles, cook over a fire and sleep in tents. They will rough it — to a point. Instead of digging a hole for a toilet, they will have access to a portable commode.

“We’re going to make it easier for them for their first experience in the backcountry,” he said.

Each national park shares information about its accessible trails and adaptive programs on its website and in its visitor center. For a broader scope, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation created a search tool to help people locate accessible and adaptable programs, events and resources around the country. The organization also has a team of advisers who can help with trip planning and other recreational advice. The service is free.

“The information specialists are trained to help people locate areas for adaptive activities,” Bogosian said. “They help them think about the questions they need to ask as they plan their trips.”

‘Healing and restorative’ exercise

Matt Lee, a 43-year-old Asheville resident, suffered a spinal cord injury the summer after he graduated high school. He uses a wheelchair, which restricts his outdoor activities. Several years ago, he upgraded to a power-assisted device with off-road tires and a free wheel attachment. His range of exploration improved, but he still runs into stumbling blocks.

“You can get to a certain point,” he said, “but there might be a creek or a stream or some uprooted areas or lots of rocks that are just too challenging to navigate.”

In 2022, he attended an adaptive mountain bike clinic hosted by Catalyst Sports. He said it was the first time he had biked that hard and that deep into nature since his accident. He learned about the Great Smoky program during the clinic and signed up for two hikes last year. For the first trek, he borrowed a “passive” Joëlette all-terrain wheelchair from the North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association . He brought his own equipment for the second excursion on Deep Creek Trail.

“To venture off and experience being out in nature — it’s very healing and restorative,” he said. “Now that I’ve been able to get out there, I feel better. I’m happier. My overall well-being has improved.”

This year, he is considering the kayak outing and the backcountry trip, an adventure that is long overdue.

“I haven’t really done overnight camping in over 20 years,” he said. “So that would be a new experience for me since my injury.”

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PHOTO: Wheelchair user on Moscow city bus.

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