CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN TO MAKE MOUNTAINS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY

"I haven't been to a forest for almost 30 years" confessed Laura.

Despite the downpour, we accompanied Laura on a joelette into one of the forests of the Abruzzo National Park. Laura suffers from muscular dystrophy. She told us that when she was a girl, before being confined to a wheelchair, she used to hike often in the mountains and forests. However, due to the lack of information and accessibility she was denied the pleasure to plunge into the nature for about 30 years. This year we gave her this opportunity again. It was raining cats and dogs that day, but she was absolutely stubborn. In spite of the rain, she decided that it was her day and she was going to see the forest again. At the end of the hike Laura and her family's eyes were full of emotion and gratitude. Laura's story, alike the other ones below, is one of the many stories and strong emotions we can tell and it´s our sense of being.

Next time, we would like you to take part in this beautiful adventure with us. How? Let's see together...

The cost of an excursion on a joelette is high because of its complex organisation, transfer and, above all, the joelette drivers. Each hike requires different number of joelette drivers depending on its length, duration and level of difficulty. A simple flat trail requires 2-3 drivers, a long difficult trail with a big height difference requires 5-6 drivers, so in average we need 4 drivers per hike. An excursion costs roughly 250 euros, including drivers and other small costs. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford it so there comes our idea. We set a crowdfunding campaign to obtain 3000 euros that will allow us to offer 10 to 15 hikes to disabled people who cannot pay it themselves.

But that´s not all. 

We would like you to be an active part of the project. In case of a high donation we will invite you to one of the excursions and if you feel like it, we will offer you a training where you will learn to drive the joelette.

"I feel like Cleopatra and if I had a whip I would use it to set the pace" said Roberta, smiling.

Roberta loves mountains but due to her disability she was not able to get there for 20 years. When we offered her a hike, she was very excited about it. Once on the trail she asked us several times to stop so that she could contemplate the views, she wanted us to slow down in order to see the sunset and in the end she was happy and thankful. Roberta keeps asking us to go to the mountains again and she wants to see new places and to reach higher peaks. Her strenght keep us motivated to do more and to push the limits that, after all, seem being only on our side. 

"Can you really see the sea from here?" asked Silvana.

 Silvana lives at the coast of Abruzzo and she had never been to Gran Sasso because the mountain seemed inaccessible for a disabled person like her. But then she put her trust in our group and gave it a try. She sat on the joelette and breathed the fresh air of the paradise called Campo Imperatore. Silvana saw not only unique panoramas and griffon vultures but also the sea, her sea, the sea she had never seen from above. She could not believe her eyes but it was all true. From that terrace at 2400 metres you could see the sea and much of the Abruzzo coastline.

TAKE PART IN OUR NEXT ADVENTURES AND MAKE MOUNTAINS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

What is a joelette?

The joelette is an all-terrain one-wheeled chair that allows people with reduced mobility or handicap, be it a child or an adult, even if they are totally dependent, to access trails with the help of at least two (preferably four) drivers. The driver in the back ensures the joelette's balance, while the driver in the front ensures traction and right direction. The joelette was designed for family outings as well as for sports use where the limits depend solely on the abilities of the drivers. It is used to access high and medium mountain trails, it is suitable also for long and demanding ones and it facilitates excursions on all kinds of roads, paths and it can also be used in the woods.

Who are we?

The mission of APPENNINI FOR ALL is to spread the concept of accessibility, we do not limit ourselves to offering services for people with disabilities onlybut we want to create opportunities for all the stakeholders making tourism an inclusive and not exclusive factor.

APPENNINI FOR ALL is located in Central Apennines, in particular in Abruzzo, bringing together supply and demand for accessible environmental tourism. An ever-growing demand and an offer that is provided by small companies have difficulty to emerge in the highly competitive tourism market. But we are ready to set it right. Our core business concerns touristic packages and all the services included. We also provide additional services on request. APPENNINI FOR ALL mainly targets disabled people and their families and creates touristic offers for people with physical disabilities, cognitive impairment and sensory impairment.

In the framework of a national competition called ReStartApp 2020 issued by the Garrone Foundation of Genoa, APPENNINI FOR ALL was selected among the best 14 business ideas to be developed in the Apennines.

Visit our website www.appenniniforall.com and check our activities on social media.