An initiative that has brought nature closer to children, young people and adults with some degree of physical or sensory disability was carried out by the Special School of the Cruz del Sur Lions Club in conjunction with the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) last week. They seek to carry out activities in contact with nature to accompany rehabilitation processes and this time it took place within the Magallanes National Reserve.
The project consisted of two guided tours of universally accessible trails in this wilderness area. It was presented last year by Conaf to the National Regional Development Fund (FNDR) of the regional government for funding and this year it was able to benefit about 30 people, students from the special school, with winter recreational activities.
Both activities included the use of personal safety elements as well as the support of trekking poles, with the tours being led by the Reserve’s park rangers, with the support of teachers and therapists from the special school.
The first visit consisted of a walk along the “Forest within everyone’s reach” trail, where the flora and fauna of the area were identified, as well as the mosses and lichens that abound in the reserve. While on the second visit, a disabled-friendly trail and the Las Minas trail were covered.
On the other hand, the project included training activities for park rangers on disability issues by teachers from the Cruz del Sur Lions Club Special School. On Conaf’s part, the information transferred was on environmental matters.
For Marcelo Martínez, administrator of the Magallanes National Reserve, “there are few occasions where people with disabilities, whether physical or sensorial, are effectively integrated, which is why this project seeks such integration through a series of activities in contact with nature in conditions that favor their integration into the environment as an experience to continue their rehabilitation.”
