At ODC Network, we believe nature is for everyone and that means making sure we have programming and experiences that are welcome to people of every age, ability, and comfort level.

This fall, we’ve partnered with the Ottawa Area Center, a public school serving the unique needs of students with cognitive impairments, to develop Accessible Adventure—a program designed to bring as many people as possible into nature. 

A Self-Paced, Sensory-Guided Walk Through Our Preserve

Accessible Adventure is a free, family-friendly open house taking place on October 23 from 3:00-7:00pm at our main campus. There’s no schedule to follow and nothing you have to do—just six sensory stations spread across our Sensory Trail that you can explore in any order, at any pace, for as much or as little time as you’d like. While all stations will be shut down at 7:00pm, families can still enjoy the trails and play spaces throughout the preserve until sunset.

Along the way, you may be able to:

• Touch the soft fur of a bunny in a gentle, guided encounter at the DeVisser Discovery Pavilion

• Smell scent tubes of pine, bee balm, and mint
• Listen to push-button nature sounds, like red-winged blackbirds and katydids, by the pond
• Look through binoculars and a pre-focused scope for birdwatching
• Build a nest using natural materials 

Quiet spaces will be available at the Herb Eldean Education Center and DeVisser Discovery Pavilion, single-stall restrooms are on-site, and staff and volunteers with radios will be stationed throughout to help with anything from adjusting an activity to finding the nearest bathroom. A social story is also available to download, preparing visitors for what to expect before they arrive. 

We’re grateful to the Ottawa Area Center for their insight into what would make this experience genuinely accessible. Their expertise shaped this event from the ground up.

We hope you’ll come explore nature with us!

Download our Accessible Adventure Social Story
Full Version (19 pages) | Abbreviated Version (12 pages)