Tennessee State Parks have announced the installation of adult-sized changing tables at five state parks to improve accessibility for all visitors. This initiative increases the total number of parks with such facilities to six, including Natchez Trace State Park, which added a table in January. The announcement coincides with the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The newly equipped parks are:
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– Fall Creek Falls State Park
– Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park
– Paris Landing State Park
– Pickwick Landing State Park
– Reelfoot Lake State Park
These changing tables are designed to assist adults with disabilities, as well as children and teens, providing a more convenient and dignified way to handle toileting needs. The tables aim to allow more visitors and their caregivers to travel and enjoy the parks.
Funding for the tables came from various sources. The Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging contributed to the installations at Natchez Trace and Reelfoot Lake. The Tennessee State Parks Conservancy supported tables at Natchez Trace, Fall Creek Falls, and Reelfoot Lake, while the Tennessee Valley Authority’s North Region funded the table at Fall Creek Falls.
“We want to make our state parks the most accessible in the country, and this is an important step forward,” said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner for Conservation at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. He expressed gratitude towards the supporting organizations and looked forward to more visitors enjoying the enhanced accessibility.
Brad Turner, commissioner of the Department of Disability and Aging, highlighted the importance of these tables in making Tennessee’s state parks accessible to all ages and abilities. Alex Wyss, executive director of the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, added that the tables provide dignity to all visitors, enabling them to engage in park activities and programming.
Natchez Trace State Park visitor Jessie Parrish shared her experience, noting that the accessible table allows her family to enjoy nature with her son Micah while maintaining his dignity and privacy.
For more information about the accessibility initiatives in Tennessee State Parks, visit Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, Department of Disability and Aging, and Tennessee State Parks. Additionally, Natchez Trace State Park is a finalist in the Cintas Corporation America’s Best Restroom contest, with public voting available through Aug. 15 at www.bestrestroom.com/vote.
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