That would be me! Hi!

My name is Freya McGregor; my pronouns are she/her. I am a disabled birder, an occupational therapist, a writer, a military spouse, an Australian living in the US, and someone who is motivated to use my knowledge, skills and passion to leave the world a little bit better than I found it.

I believe that everybody should have access to the health and wellness benefits birds and nature can provide. I began Access Birding, LLC to work towards that vision by helping birding locations (like nature centers and state and county parks) design or retrofit more accessible environments, and to upskill and empower program managers, staff, volunteers, bird outing leaders and my fellow birders to be more welcoming and inclusive. After all, 39% of birders have a disability!

As an occupational therapist, my clinical background is in blindness and low vision services. I am involved in research projects relating to access, inclusion and disabled birders, and I am writing A Field Guide to Accessible Birding in North America, to be published by Princeton University Press. It will be the first bird travel guide written by a disabled birder for disabled birders, highlighting accessible trails, bird blinds and observation platforms across the US and Canada that are wonderful examples of accessibility and create opportunities to enjoy birding spectacles or endemic or highly-sought-after birds.

I have written articles on access, inclusion, disability and birding for Audubon magazine, Birding magazine and the LA Times. I’ve discussed these topics on the American Birding Association’s podcast, on BirdNote’s Bring Birds Back podcast, Talkin’ Birds, and others, and have been featured in Audubon magazine and the Wall Street Journal.

When there’s a systemic problem, I tend to think about systemic solutions — what could we change higher up the ‘food chain’ so this isn’t a barrier for others? This public health-inspired upstream thinking is what made me realize that my perspective as an occupational therapist gives me a different take on the North American birding community, the barriers to access to this wonderful hobby, and the ways we can address them — collectively and individually. Birding should be accessible and inclusive for all of us… but we’ve got work to do to make sure that’s the reality.

Let’s work together!

My writing

A Field Guide to Accessible Birding in North America, to be published by Princeton University Press in fall 2026.

Easy ways to improve access to interpretation materials, published in the National Association for Interpretation’s Legacy magazine, September-October, 2022.

Invited to contribute an op-ed to the LA Times: It’s easier than you might think to make birding more accessible to more people, April 12, 2022.

An article about the physical accessibility of birding locations, published in the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine, March, 2022.

How you can help making birding more welcoming and inclusive, published in Audubon magazine, January 2022.

It’s time to redefine ‘birding’ published in Audubon magazine, August 2021.

Additional Qualifications

Certified ADA Coordinator, awarded by the University of Missouri, College of Human and Environmental Sciences, School of Architectural Studies, 2024.

Certified Trails Assessment Coordinator, awarded by Beneficial Designs, 2022. Certification number TA0422001.

Certified Interpretive Guide, awarded by the National Association of Interpretation, 2020.

Scientific publications

Sinkular, E. N., Dayer, A. A., McGregor, F. A. & Karns, M. J. (2024). Accessible birding in the United States: Constraints to and facilitators of birding with disabilities. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 10.1080/10871209.2024.2325157

McGregor, F. A. & Unsworth, C.A. (2021). Menstrual hygiene management strategies used by women who are blind or have low vision. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 10.1080/11038128.2021.1954995

Academic work

Research associate, Dayer Human Dimensions Lab, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech. Working on research projects related to improving access and inclusion of disabled birders, and using birding as a therapeutic tool. Learn more on the Dayer Lab website.