Meet Bailey Smith - IDPD Community Spotlight
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is this Wednesday 3rd December, but we are celebrating it all week! It's an annual event created by the United Nations to “promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities”.
Within the All The Elements Community there are some incredible disability campaigners, activists and changemakers. Through this blog series we’re shining a light on their work, celebrating their achievements, and championing the importance of disability inclusion in the UK outdoors.
Up first, we have Bailey Smith (they/she), a disabled, autistic, wheelchair user who advocates for equitable employment experiences, access to the outside, and works as an environmental professional in construction!
We asked Bailey what they loved most about spending time outdoors and this is what they shared:
Slowing down and just enjoying the environment around you! It helps massively with my wellbeing and operating in a busy, fast-paced world, the outdoors can help me to take some time to connect with the world around us!
What's one thing you wish more people understood about accessibility and the outdoors?
That there are so many barriers for disabled people to access the outside and it’s more than physical access barriers!
Yes a stile will stop me (a wheelchair user) in my tracks, but there are more barriers at play. For example financially - to access suitable equipment and mobility aids, transport costs, costs to more accessible and well kept nature paths. As well as attitudinal barriers - people believing there is no demand for the outdoors to be accessible or not being considerate of parking for access and egress into vehicles.
What's the most impactful adaptation or change that you’ve found, or someone has made, that's helped you to access the outdoors more easily?
Gates! Locally to me The Parks Trust have installed more accessible gates (livestock are used for sustainable land management and so they are required) along the Ouzel Valley Park. They can be pushed from both directions, have clear colour contrast handles, and two different operating mechanics to be as accessible as possible! I can now independently head out and explore the valley now as the gates are accessible to me, before I would require assistance. A small change that makes a huge difference!
To find out more about Bailey, check out their Website and follow them on Instagram
This article is part of a series written by All The Elements, to celebrate some of our incredible community members, inspired by International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Each day this week, we will be spotlighting a different person. You can explore the full series here or follow along with us on social media.
Join our Disability Campaigners’ Community!
Are you working on disability inclusion in the UK outdoors? If so we’d love you to join our Community! Our last online social of this year is this Wednesday 3rd December at 6pm, you can sign up here.
The 2026 dates will be announced soon! Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about future dates - or drop us an email at hello@alltheelements.co to find out more.
