By: Stephanie Reynolds
I got lost at the U. S. Space & Rocket Center today. Okay, not LOST-lost. I mean, I knew I was in Alabama, vaguely the direction of “north,” and where I left my truck.
But I couldn’t get from where I was to where I was parked (and it wasn’t just me. They had shut the gates). Even though the Davidson Center is one large room with a door at one end, somehow I ended up on the second floor inside the main park, with no discernable way to get down and out to the parking lot.
This is (one of several reasons) why I am not an astronaut—I would probably miss the moon. Or Earth. It’s sort of like my golf game: I take a swing and whiff the PLANET I am STANDING on (and the little white ball sitting atop it that I’m actually trying to hit).
To be honest, though, being unable to escape the Space & Rocket Center isn’t the worst thing I could think of. I mean, it’s the Rocket Center. Many a young person’s dreams ignited for liftoff in those halls, including mine back in the day (I am excessively proud of the “Space Camp Alumni” button on my work backpack). I walked by two men in lab coats with an “Ask A Rocket Scientist” sign by them (so epic!) and am still kicking myself that I didn’t stop and chat.
So if I had to be lost (temporarily misplaced) there, I would be fine.
But let me back up a bit. I was there attending a press conference held by the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (the tourism group that consists of the 15 northern counties in Alabama, including ours).
The press conference was wonderful! I got to see so many of my tourism professional folk, which is always a delight. Every time we get together, it is the same sweet song: squeals of “Hey! How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever,” lots of photos, and hugs aplenty. Couple that with the announcement of good work earnestly done by people who care in a setting of star-filled dreams…what a beautiful way to spend a morning!
At the conference, AMLA announced the donation of 23 wheelchairs and two Meta smart glasses to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center to help improve accessibility for visitors. The equipment was purchased through grant funding through Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers, and Valleys Resource Conservation & Development Council (long name, great people!).
Our AHMAZING partner and Creative Tourism Consultant Leslie Walker had this quote (which I shamelessly copied from the press release because it was so fab): “Accessibility doesn’t start with equipment. It starts with awareness. But when you pair that awareness with the right tools, like these new wheelchairs and Meta smart glasses, you move from good intentions into real, tangible access. That’s when a visitor stops worrying about how they’ll navigate a space and can actually experience it.” Ah, I love that. “Awareness” without “action” is like an empty pizza box—full of promise but leaves you hungry.
Anyway, Leslie is one of our favorite consultants. She created Tourism ALL-a-Bama which promotes and enhances the tourism industry within the state by offering sensory tourism trainings and practice stay experiences for individuals who qualify. PLEASE come see me if you want more info on this. Her program is great!
I am so glad AMLA and ALL-a-Bama share the same deep desire as our Athens-Limestone County Tourism office to make tourism available for everyone. We are working diligently to make sure our trails, hotels, restaurants, and venues are ready for all. Regardless of the challenges one has, everyone should have the opportunity to explore, experience, and thrive. Very few of us will get the opportunity to go to outer space, but we all should have the benefit of exploring trail-space and new-restaurant-space and museum-space.
It’s hard to think about possibly needing assistance, especially as one ages (which is why you need to join me on the trails! Age might catch up to us, but it’s going to have to hoof it to do so!). The truth is that we, young and old, are one “fell off the curb while taking a selfie” away from not being able to move freely for a while. We also may have friends and family members who need a little sensory assistance or who have other challenges. By making Athens-Limestone — indeed all North Alabama — accessible, we are caring for others and perhaps even our future (or current) selves.
I might not be able to find my way to the parking lot at the USSRC, but I see clearly the path before us in tourism: accessibility for everyone, every time, everywhere.
By: Stephanie Reynolds, Athens-Limestone Tourism Association
