Visitors walk a gravel trail at Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens
The Trustees is committed to ensuring our special places can be enjoyed and experienced by everyone. We understand that creating and expanding the accessibility of the special places we care for is an important and ongoing process. Today we have accessible trails and adaptive equipment at multiple locations, and accessible programming and events.
Disability Pride Month is celebrated each July to mark the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in July of 1990.
Per The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion.
Armstrong-Kelley Park in Osterville has a fully accessible garden core. (c) Krista Photography
In collaboration with partners from the disability community, The Trustees is committed to learning, implementing, and increasing the accessibility of our properties and programs. We are committed to this work, with an internal Accessibility Working Group comprised of professionals from across our organization. We also want to hear from you, our members, visitors, and guests. Please consider taking our short survey today.
Take The Survey!
Looking to visit our properties and want to know if there are accessibility accommodations? Below we offer a brief round-up of places to check out this July, and all year long.
An accessible boardwalk extends through Doyle Community Park
Accessible Trails & Spaces
Several Trustees properties around the state offer accessible facilities. Check out the following recommendations and find a downloadable map of accessible properties here.
Armstrong Kelley Park, Osterville – The public garden core of Armstrong Kelley Park is fully accessible. The main pathways in the front of the park are also accessible, made of stone dust.
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln – Most of the Sculpture Park grounds consist of grass and paved path/drive. There is an accessible pathway through the property, with other locations wheelchair friendly (with assistance). There are a few sculptures located in areas of uneven ground and steep incline. Andy Goldsworthy’s Watershed is accessible from the upper staff parking lot which has accessible parking available to visitors. There are also two accessible picnic tables in the Courtyard.
Doyle Community Park, Leominster – Doyle offers 1.5 miles of crushed gravel accessible trails. The trails begin from the main parking lot and travel through Pierce Park in one direction, or loop through the estate core after crossing over Abbott Avenue.
A trail at Tully Lake Campground
A boardwalk at Mary Cummings Park in Burlington. Courtesy Above Summit.
Dunes’ Edge Campground, Provincetown and Tully Lake Campground, Royalston – Our Trustees Campgrounds offer wheelchair accessible campsites, accessible parking, and all-terrain wheelchair accessible trails. Just be sure to contact the properties ahead of time for accessible lodging needs, and note they are first-come first-serve.
Mary Cummings Park, Burlington – The Pollinator Trail is a 0.8-mile loop that is wheelchair accessible. It can be accessed from both The Trustees and Burlington Multi-Purpose Field parking lots on Blanchard Road. Picnic tables and benches are located adjacent to the parking lot and along the Pollinator Trail. This includes a wheelchair accessible picnic table.
Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens, North Andover – Stevens–Coolidge House and Gardens Accessible offers aggregate parking and pathways that allow visitors access to the historic grounds and gardens. Railings and ramps allow entry to the brick terrace and first floor of Main House. Accessible restrooms (seasonally May-October) are available at the Gateway and rear of Main House. Benches and picnic tables are located throughout the property with two accessible tables near the historic gardens. Meadow trails, lawns, and improved pathways are subject to short term flooding seasonally and following storms.
The FARM Institute, Edgartown – At The FARM Institute, the Teaching Kitchen, market, and offices are wheelchair accessible. During operational hours, there are accessible bathrooms available to the public and accessible parking. Garden pathways and trails are flat and wide, however, an all-terrain wheelchair is recommended.
A beach wheelchair is available at Crane Beach in Ipswich.
A path at World's End, now more accessible via a GRIT Freedom Chair available for use at the property.
Adaptive Equipment
Crane Beach on the Crane Estate, Ipswich – Crane Beach has 25 accessible parking spaces available on a first come-first-serve basis for admission ticket holders. There is a waterproof beach wheelchair for use by visitors. Guests can inquire about the waterproof wheelchair at the beach store in the summer and at the entry gate during all other seasons.
If you have mobility challenges, our Crane staff will give you a ride from the parking lot to the main beach front and back. Inquire at the beach store in the summer and at the entry gate during all other seasons.
There are wheelchair accessible restrooms and bath house.
Long Point Wildlife Refuge, West Tisbury – At Long Point Wildlife Refuge, there mobility transport services and beach wheelchairs available. These resources are limited, so guests should inquire at the entry gate. From mid-June to mid-September there are accessible portable toilets and a foot-washing station.
World’s End, Hingham – A GRIT Freedom Chair is available for use by visitors to World’s End. This all-terrain wheelchair is designed to provide greater accessibility and independence for individuals with mobility challenges, allowing everyone to explore the trails and natural wonders of World’s End. You can reserve the GRIT Freedom Chair here.
The property offers wheelchair accessible parking, and wheelchair accessible trails – wide, even, gravel-surfaced carriage roads. The grade of the trails might be challenging in some places.
Sensory Kits are available at six Trustees properties.
Sensory Friendly Programming and Sensory Kits
Sensory-friendly events at Trustees properties offer a reduced number of guests and a quieter environment. All who would benefit from a limited capacity visit are welcome. Find upcoming events here.
At six of our Trustees’ special places, sensory kits designed for neurodiverse children and adults are available for visitors. The kits, provided through a partnership with Autism Alliance, are an additional way that The Trustees aims to ensure that all visitors feel welcome and can enjoy the many properties we steward across Massachusetts. Locations with the sensory kits include Weir River Farm in Hingham, Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Appleton Farms in Ipswich and Hamilton, The FARM Institute on Martha’s Vineyard, Powisset Farm in Dover, and deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln. Find more details here.
