Birdability

Birdability Founder Virginia Rose is featured in the November 2025 issue of Paraplegia News and we could not be prouder. Her story is a reminder of what access makes possible and it arrives just in time as Birdability Week starts Monday. The piece highlights the Birdability Map, created with the National Audubon Society, which now lists more than two thousand birding locations with accessible elements. That is community power in action. We’re deeply grateful to Paraplegia News for sharing Virginia’s story and helping to spread the message that birding is for every body and every mind. Read the full piece in Paraplegia News’ November issue and join us for Birdability Week starting Monday to celebrate the joy and belonging Virginia describes. Register for virtual events, find an accessible outing, and help spread the word that birding is for every body and every mind. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gpyEi2qh Image Description: The cover of Paraplegia News November 2025 issue features Birdability Founder Virginia Rose smiling as she birds at the coast in Galveston, Texas with the ocean in front of her. She is seated in her manual wheelchair, holding binoculars, wearing a Birdability t-shirt that says Birding is for every body! on the back. The headline reads “For The Birds, Try an accessible birding outing,” introducing the feature on accessible birding and the joy it brings.

We are proud to share that Texas Parks & Wildlife: Bats, Birds, and Bighorn, featuring Birdability, has been named a 2025 Lone Star Emmy® Nominee in the Magazine Program category. This outstanding program, presented by KAMU and Texas Parks and Wildlife, features Birdability Founder Virginia Rose along with other Austin Birdability Captains and community members. It shines a light on the power of accessible birding and the belonging that comes when people with disabilities are expected in outdoor spaces, which is the ongoing work of Birdability. Congratulations to Editor Ron Kabele and the entire Texas Parks & Wildlife team for this recognition, and thank you for telling these stories with such care. We are deeply grateful to Virginia and to all who continue to advance Birdability’s vision: that birding is for every body and every mind. Watch the episode here: https://lnkd.in/g-G9zNUz

As Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month concludes, Birdability is honored to announce that we have been awarded a Creating Opportunities & Independence grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, beginning November 1, 2025. With this support, we will expand the Birdability Outreach Program (BOP) to integrate accessible birding into rehabilitation hospitals and outpatient programs for individuals with spinal cord injuries. This work will include tailored programming, adaptive equipment, and collaborations with local birding and disability organizations, ensuring meaningful, sustainable impact. We are deeply grateful to the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation for their decades of work advancing opportunities and independence for people living with SCI, and we are proud to continue Craig H. Neilsen’s legacy through the healing power of birding. Read the full story on our blog https://lnkd.in/gGi9qftk

Latino Conservation Week 2025 is here September 13–21! This national celebration uplifts Latinx voices, culture, and leadership in conservation, reminding us that protecting and enjoying the outdoors is about belonging, identity, and justice. The outdoors is for every body and every mind. Our work at Birdability to increase access and inclusion in birding and nature connects deeply with the mission of Latino Conservation Week. When communities who have been excluded are centered, conservation is stronger, more vibrant, and more just. We invite you to find an event near you on the Latino Conservation Week 2025 calendar: https://lnkd.in/eACSWCvN We are all working collectively toward a future where joy, stewardship, and connection to nature are accessible to all. #FloreciendoJuntos #BloomTogether #OutdoorsForAll

From October 20-26, 2025, the birding community is coming together to shine a light on something truly important: accessibility & inclusion in the outdoors. Birdability Week is a time to uplift and amplify the voices of birders with disabilities and other health concerns, turning the outdoors into a space that truly belongs to everybody and every body. Be sure to check out this year's schedule that includes 10 virtual events and accessible outings in communities across the country (plus Canada and Mexico!). Why it matters: Birding brings healing, wonder, and community. Yet too many people are excluded by physical, sensory, and social barriers. Birdability works to break down those barriers and reimagine birding spaces where everyone is welcomed and expected. The full schedule is out now! Explore what’s happening and make your plans to join us virtually or in your community at https://lnkd.in/ggSCfHgu

Our fantastic interns continue their work through a partnership with Environment for the Americas and the National Park Service. As Karli, an intern at Indiana Dunes National Park shared, "With the team here at the Indiana Dunes, we connected people with nature who may never have had the opportunity otherwise. We showed them that birding doesn’t require thousands of dollars in equipment or an encyclopedic knowledge of local species. We said, “This park is for everyone.” Well said, Karli!

Thanks to WGBH Radio and Television and Mount Auburn Cemetery for this great article about the recent Blind Birders Bird-a-Thon! Birding is for everybody and we are so delighted to help create opportunities to introduce folks to the joys of birds.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we are reminding folks that accessible birding can be a vital tool for mental health and wellness. Find out more at the Birdability Blog all month long. Gratitude to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for their support of our work to make birding and the outdoors accessible and inclusive for everyone, especially those with disabilities and health concerns! https://lnkd.in/gGjNVud4

Karli and 9 other amazing folks are now starting their internships at National Parks across the country and we are DELIGHTED! It was an amazing week of learning together just outside Rocky Mountain National Park last week and the time with this second cohort of interns was exactly what we needed to prepare for a summer of accessible birding programming!

We are so excited for the inaugural Blind Birders Bird-a-Thon on May 18th! Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eySfPiQj and share with other legally blind birders and anyone interested.