No matter what your abilities or your experience with nature, everyone is welcome at the Four Rivers for All Abilities event set for Wednesday, July 24, at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon. 

Two 90-minute sessions will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Registration is open now and is required by phone before Tuesday, July 23; call 815-722-9470. 

The event is designed for families or groups that have members of varying abilities who may find it challenging to find outings that are inviting for everyone, said Jerome Gabriel, facility supervisor at Four Rivers in Channahon. 

“Four Rivers has designed this day so that families, day programs, or therapeutic schools can come visit the facility and all have something to do together,” he said. “This day is designed specifically to introduce all of the center’s inclusive practices to organizations and families."

Stations set up around the nature center will feature hands-on activities designed to showcase the site’s inclusive field trips; new GRIT Freedom chair for off-trail adventures; indoor exhibits on river fish, mussels and more; and the building’s quiet space for those needing a break during the event. 

The hands-on stations will highlight three inclusive field trips:

• River Bottom Bugs – Search through water and mud to find the snails, crawfish and bugs that live in the pond.
• A is for Adaptations – Crawl, climb, hop and jump like local animals to learn how these creatures have adapted to living in their environments.
• Animal Signs – Touch and feel real animal furs and real animal bones to find out what local animals are doing when we aren’t watching them.

Those who attend Four Rivers for All Abilities will also learn more about how the site received The National Inclusion Project’s first nature center accreditation in the country in November 2023. 

The accreditation means Four Rivers has met the standards set by the organization for inclusive practices for individuals with disabilities.

Inclusion items at Four Rivers feature buddy bags, a quiet space, an All-Persons Trail, paved trails, an exhibit guide, custom communication/talking boards and easy-viewing spotting scopes.

Also, the site offers: a custom visual schedule creator; screen reader enabled PDFs; program/event accommodations; social story digital narratives for facility staff and programs; live captioning during presentations; Sensory Sunday programs; inclusive field trips for public, private, homeschool, therapeutic day school and adult day programs; and a pre-visit walkthrough video. 

For more information on accessibility and inclusion at the site, visit the Four Rivers' FAQ webpage.