Providing consulting and training services to empower nature organizations to improve access and inclusion for disabled birders.
Birding can bring us so much meaning and it has the potential to be accessible and inclusive for everybody. There are more than 45 million birders in the US, and 1 in 4 Americans have a disability. That’s a lot of people who ought to be able to access nature and reap the health and wellness benefits of birding!
Are you a nature preserve manager who wants your facilities to be accessible to all, but feels confused about what changes are actually important to make?
Are you a program director who wants your staff and volunteers to be welcoming and inclusive of disabled visitors, but feels overwhelmed and unsure about how to even begin upskilling them?
Are you a birder who wants to feel empowered to do better, but doesn’t know where to start?
I can help you become a change-maker and a confident leader in the movement to increase access to birding and nature for everybody. Let’s do this!
“After working with Access Birding, our organization, from staff and Board to volunteers, is empowered and equipped to make change and improve access and inclusion. And, importantly, we are all on the same page and inspired to do the work. Working with Access Birding was a pleasure, and our organization was fundamentally changed for the better!”
— Margaret Rohde, Conservation Manager, Wissahickon Trails
Access Birding provides consulting and training services at the intersection of access, inclusion, disability and birding so outing leaders, interpreters and land managers feel confident and empowered to facilitate equitable access to nature for all of us.
Consulting
Virtually or in-person, I provide tailored recommendations for improving the accessibility of trails or other birding locations, and for bird-relating programming. Need a quick ‘pick your brain session’, or more detailed recommendations? I can help!
Training
I provide workshops, training and guest speaking for your staff, volunteers and members on birding disability etiquette, being a welcoming and inclusive birder and outing leader, and creating accessible programming. Need something else? Get in touch!
Empowering
Through a disability justice lens with an occupational therapy approach, my aim is that you will feel empowered and equipped to continue in this work going forwards. I hope to do such a good job upskilling and equipping you that I make myself redundant!
Recent clients include…
“Freya provided her expertise for us at Newman Wetlands Center. She offered invaluable, implementable feedback centered on creating a space where disabled visitors could feel they belong. Her suggestions included small, easy-to-implement changes and some that will require long-term projects to implement. She was kind, supportive, and encouraging. I enjoyed working with her and appreciated her insight so much that I also hired her to evaluate our programming and help us enhance the learning experiences we create for guests.”
— Danielle Bunch, Senior Conservationist, Newman Wetlands Center, Georgia.
“Thank you for your exciting and insightful program. I learned a lot about inclusion as it relates to being outside with a diverse audience of enthusiasts. We had an audience of board members and field trip leaders in our workshop and Freya gave us many group dynamics tools that will come in handy in future public programs and field trips in our organization. It is OK to not know everything about birds! I loved it.”
— Will Broussard, Program Coordinator, Mid Coast Audubon, Maine.
Freya's depth of experience, her examples of positive and thoughtful design, and her hazards to avoid were all very practical and well articulated as we develop a new wheelchair-friendly hiking trail. She listened to my thoughts, our goals, and the ideas that had been shared with us so far and helped distill them into the most important work. The consulting call and summary report were invaluable in making the next round of design, implementation, and interpretation decisions going forward with our project. I had worried that Freya's advice would feel overwhelming or unachievable, but quite the opposite was true: she provided short-term, cost-effective solutions that can be implemented soon, as well as long-term goals that we can seek future funding and resources for that will make our facility a welcoming, inclusive destination in the Texas Hill Country.
— MaryAshley McGibbon, Director, YMCA Roberts Ranch, Texas.
Recently featured by…
Check out the Media Appearances page for more information about these articles and interviews.
Who’s behind Access Birding?
That would be me! Hi!
My name is Freya McGregor (she/her). I’m a disabled birder and an occupational therapist with a background in blindness and low vision services. I grew up birding in Australia and married an American soldier, and these cultural identities help inform my approach.
I am passionate about social and disability justice and using my professional skills and experience to help ensure that birding truly is for every body. I began Access Birding, LLC to work towards that vision by :
Helping birding locations (like nature centers and state parks) design or retrofit more accessible built environments; and
Upskilling and empowering program managers, staff, volunteers, bird outing leaders and my fellow birders to be more welcoming and inclusive, especially of the 61 million Americans who live with a disability. (And all of whom should feel welcome in the birding community and the outdoors!)
I’m excited about the work we have ahead of us, and I look forward to helping you meet your inclusion, access, equity and diversity goals. Learn more about my background, discover ways to consult with me, check out the different workshops and trainings I facilitate, and connect on Instagram or Facebook @access.birding