Barriers don鈥檛 stop Trevor Denning. He rolls over them.
![person in a wheelchair rolling through the forest](/sites/default/files/2022-01/Storytelling_animated_trevor-access.png)
Trevor Denning uses a wheelchair and loves the outdoors. But sometimes, those realities aren鈥檛 compatible. He wants to change that.
![Trevor Denning in off-road wheelchair the forest](/sites/default/files/2022-01/stories-denning-480x640.jpg)
Denning is on a mission to make the outdoors more accessible to those with physical disabilities. Most of the time, he says, the people making decisions about accessibility are not disabled and have no firsthand knowledge on how to make a state, local or national park accessible.
鈥淚 believe there need to be more people who are disabled in these positions because they are the ones with the real-world experience and know what needs to change,鈥 he says. 鈥淥n many occasions, I have visited an area that is deemed 鈥榓ccessible,鈥 when in fact, it is not.鈥
Denning is pursuing his bachelor鈥檚 degree in with a double minor in and . He chose 澳门管家婆资料大全 for this unique program, along with the welcoming community and college town feel of Corvallis.
鈥淥ne of the best things about OSU is meeting so many students who come from diverse backgrounds, folks with the same passion I have for the outdoors and plenty of students with disabilities,鈥 Denning says. 鈥淥SU is very welcoming to all students.鈥
Denning has been in a wheelchair since 2011, after a spinal injury when he was 15. For nearly 10 years, he could not do the things he loved in the outdoors. But through a community fundraising effort, he received a ReActive Adaptations off-road handcycle in 2019. The custom-built handcycle includes an electric assist that can support Denning as he explores previously inaccessible areas.
鈥淢y favorite part is I can do so much more by myself now,鈥 he says. 鈥淲hen I want to explore a new area, I can go over, down and around terrain that I am not able to with my wheelchair. It is such a freeing experience.鈥
After graduation, Denning hopes to work for a federal agency such as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service or the Army Corps of Engineers, helping give people with physical disabilities greater access to the outdoors.
鈥淣avigating a nondisabled world is tough,鈥 he says. 鈥淩estaurants, grocery stores, bookstores, classrooms and housing are some of the many things that need to be made more accessible. The first step is having people who are disabled in a position to make these changes. I want to be one of those people.鈥