Lerxst
Well-known member
Is anyone here going to participate in the May 14th Big Day competition sponsored by New Jersey Audubon? It would be nice to say hello - surprsingly, I am going to be there. This is not the sort of event I naturally gravitate towards...
I'm going to be participating because this is the first year in the many decades of this event where there will be a team consisting solely of individuals with disabilites and access challenges. Beside myself (legally blind with about 2% of my visual field remaining), Birdability's Team Nuthatch will include a member that has been totally blind since birth, a manual wheelchair user, an autisitc person and several others with mobility and health concerns that impact their ability to bird. I'm excited that we will have this opportunity to demonstrate that we can overcome obstacles and be competitive with teams that don't face such barriers.
Regardless of our current abilities and physical condition, it is worth keeping the following fact in mind: every one of us is at best only temporarily abled-bodied. Every one of us will reach a point when our desire to be out birding will be met by a limiting factor, a barrier to mobility or loss in sensory ability. That is why supporting Birdability is an investment not only in the birding community at large, but your own future enjoyment of birds.
Please consider supporting our Big Day: more information on the team is here: Support Team Nuthatch at the World Series of Birding — Birdability
Thanks,
Michael Hurben
Bloomington, MN
I'm going to be participating because this is the first year in the many decades of this event where there will be a team consisting solely of individuals with disabilites and access challenges. Beside myself (legally blind with about 2% of my visual field remaining), Birdability's Team Nuthatch will include a member that has been totally blind since birth, a manual wheelchair user, an autisitc person and several others with mobility and health concerns that impact their ability to bird. I'm excited that we will have this opportunity to demonstrate that we can overcome obstacles and be competitive with teams that don't face such barriers.
Regardless of our current abilities and physical condition, it is worth keeping the following fact in mind: every one of us is at best only temporarily abled-bodied. Every one of us will reach a point when our desire to be out birding will be met by a limiting factor, a barrier to mobility or loss in sensory ability. That is why supporting Birdability is an investment not only in the birding community at large, but your own future enjoyment of birds.
Please consider supporting our Big Day: more information on the team is here: Support Team Nuthatch at the World Series of Birding — Birdability
Thanks,
Michael Hurben
Bloomington, MN
