Working directly with our local communities, we could not bring about the change we want to see across the US (and the world!) by ourselves — it just wouldn’t be possible. What we can do is empower others in this work, so they feel inspired and equipped to act in their own communities.
One way we do this is by creating the freely available Guidance Documents on this website. That way, anyone who wants to learn more about being a welcoming and inclusive birder can learn what we’ve learnt, and anyone who’s organizing accessible bird outings can find out what information to include when they’re writing up the event’s description, for example. We share our own knowledge and create the tools necessary to do this work so that others can do it too. Our Birdability Captains (our volunteers) are particularly invested in this, and we have monthly meetings and other supports to continue to encourage and empower them, too.
We also want to empower birders (and potential future birders) with access challenges! Having a disability or another health concern can be very disempowering. Not having control over your body or mind, having people make decisions about you without your input, and being unable to visit places because access was not a priority are common experiences. We also know that navigating a new trail, or working through a tricky bird ID can be very empowering. We know that exploring and adventuring, far from home or nearby, can be empowering too. (In fact, this was the theme of one of the panels during Birdability Week 2021.) We want to encourage folks with access challenges to try new things and get out of their comfort zone; we want people to feel like they can!