Wheelchair Accessibility And Terrain Rating

[+brodiebunch]

Our second oldest cache hidden is in the middle of large, rather flat city park. There is lawn all over the areas leading to cache site. I ranked this a one star because its flat and grassy. Today I received a note from someone who geocaches with someone wheelchair bound or is themselves. Note states I should re-rate cache to 1.5 stars.

 

I am willing to do so but am torn. I looked back at all the caches we found, most of them wouldnt be wheelchair accessible either. (hidden in tall stumps, along stairs on hills too steep for a thru street, underneath pedestrian bridges, a bog adjacent to a large lake, etc) Most are rated one star too. Or shall I politely respond saying I am sorry you feel that way but the one star serves the greatest amount of fellow cachers?

 

Realistic or insensitive? Any suggestions or flames?

 

Brodiebunch

[+wildearth2001]

I would agree with the other cacher. 1 star is supposed to be drive up or wheelchair accesable. 1.5 star is flat open grassy area with a short walk.

[+CO Admin]

Our second oldest cache hidden is in the middle of large, rather flat city park. There is lawn all over the areas leading to cache site. I ranked this a one star because its flat and grassy. Today I received a note from someone who geocaches with someone wheelchair bound or is themselves. Note states I should re-rate cache to 1.5 stars.

 

I am willing to do so but am torn. I looked back at all the caches we found, most of them wouldnt be wheelchair accessible either. (hidden in tall stumps, along stairs on hills too steep for a thru street, underneath pedestrian bridges, a bog adjacent to a large lake, etc) Most are rated one star too. Or shall I politely respond saying I am sorry you feel that way but the one star serves the greatest amount of fellow cachers?

 

Realistic or insensitive? Any suggestions or flames?

 

Brodiebunch

The ClayJar system to rate caches that is used on the create a cache page states:

 

What is the terrain elevation like?

 

Basically flat

Only slight elevation changes. Easy to do in a wheelchair, stroller, bike, etc.

 

The is the description for a 1 terrain. if a wheelchair cant do it it's not a 1 according to the system.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

There has been quite a bit of discussion about this. A "1-star" for terrain should be handicapped accessible. There are all kinds of handicaps, so this generally means wheelchair-friendly. A "1.5-star" terrain would indicate that it is easy terrain, but not really handicapped accessible. I re-rated all of my caches a year ago to reflect this way of thinking.

[+Fritz_Monroe]

I agree that it should probably be a 1.5. A 1 star seems to indicate that it would probably be paved paths. I ran it thru Clayjar's rating calculator The only thing I changed was the trail type. It returned a 2, but I don't know if it does half stars.

 

F_M

[+Cache Viking]

There has been quite a bit of discussion about this. A "1-star" for terrain should be handicapped accessible. There are all kinds of handicaps, so this generally means wheelchair-friendly. A "1.5-star" terrain would indicate that it is easy terrain, but not really handicapped accessible. I re-rated all of my caches a year ago to reflect this way of thinking.

Wow this made me think about my 3 caches. I know one of them is labeled rightly so over one. The other two I had to verify and think about and still feel they qualify as a 1.

 

Thanks.

[SBPhishy]

I stumbled on a cache page today, that was listed as a 1, but clearly was not wheelchair accessable. I wrote to the owner letting him know that many wheelchair-bound cachers search for their caches this way. He hasnt responded yet.

[+Renegade Knight]

Well now. It's all relative. If someone emails me and says "I'm in a wheelchair and could not get to your cache" I'd probably email them back and ask them if they were in one that could actually be used someplace other than a hard flat surface. 10speed vs. Mountain Bike thing.

 

A lot of geocaches would be opened up if people invested in better equipment and didn't use the kind of chair that looks like it would only be good in WalMart.

 

Most of us have hiking boots for trails and street shoes for comfort in daily use. The idea is the same.

Edited March 9, 2004 by Renegade Knight

[+GEO.JOE]

I have a similar question as above. I just placed Tunnel Hill cache and struggled with the terrain rating. The trail is a converted rail to trail with a small crushed rock surface. The trail is handicapped accessible and I have seen wheelchairs on the trail. However, a person confined to a wheelchair could get to within 1 to 2 feet from my cache but not be able to get the cache from it’s hiding spot. Therefore, is the rating to indicate that the trail is suitable for a wheelchair or the cache is accessible by a wheelchair?

 

GEO.JOE

[+Harrald]

Well now. It's all relative. If someone emails me and says "I'm in a wheelchair and could not get to your cache" I'd probably email them back and ask them if they were in one that could actually be used someplace other than a hard flat surface. <<SNIP>>

Why didn't I think of that??? I'll just drop another $5500.00 on a different wheelchair for our daughter.

 

1 star terrain is suposed to be wheelchair accessible. Period If you don't know someone in a wheelchair try thinking of it this way.

 

Could you cold roll a shopping cart half filled without lifting the front wheels? if not the make it 1.5 stars.

[+Mopar]

Why didn't I think of that??? I'll just drop another $5500.00 on a different wheelchair for our daughter.

 

1 star terrain is suposed to be wheelchair accessible. Period If you don't know someone in a wheelchair try thinking of it this way.

 

Could you cold roll a shopping cart half filled without lifting the front wheels? if not the make it 1.5 stars.

Thank You!

[+bons]

Once you start thinking of it as a rating system from 1.5 to 4.5 it becomes a lot easier. I'll leave placing 1 star caches for those people who have wheelchairs to test with and 5 star caches for those times when specialized equipment was needed to place and maintain the dang thing.

 

If you don't want to use clayjar's system, just rate it from 1-4 and add half a point. It all works out that way.

Edited March 9, 2004 by bons

[+radioscout]

I've seen many caches listed as a traditional cache and rated 1/1 but the description said multi cache and 14 km of walk.

I suggest to change the cache report form in a way that the clayjar form must be filled out. I also would like to see that the overall lenght of the cache trail and the estimated time needed for the cache must be given.

Sometimes I go caching with someone older than 60 years and we need precise information about the terrain. It is very disappointing if you have to stop the search for a 1/1 rated cache because you have to walk more than 5 km uphill.

[+flask]

yup. i think there's some room for interpretation in the higher ratings, but a 1 ought to signal a cache where someone in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller could do most of the hunt. if i have a terrain-rated 1 cache and it could be hunted but not retreived by someone in a wheelchair, i say so.

 

i realize that "wheelchair" is different for many people. there are people who use them who have ENORMOUS upper body strength, and people who use them who are sufficiently impaired to need a power chair. when creating and accesible cache, i try to keep in mind what could be done reasonaby by a moderate-strength person in a wheelchair alone, and what could be done by a person in a wheelchair accompanied by other people.

 

i don't mention these things if i've given a terrain rating as high as 2; i trust disabled hunters to do enough homework to assess what they can and cannot do. i have two friends in wheelchairs and one friend who is an elderly, somewhat frail cacher. when i am thinking of a 1 rating, i think about how all three of them might do if they were to hunt my cache.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

1 star indicates it's accessable to those in wheelchairs.

 

Change your rating, very insensitive not to.