How does wilderness designation impact disabled individuals?
Those with disabilities may use wheelchairs within Wilderness. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 reaffirmed that nothing in the Wilderness Act should be construed as prohibiting the use of a wheelchair in a wilderness area, although agencies are not required to provide special wheelchair access. A 1992 report by the National Council on Disability found that a “significant majority of persons with disabilities surveyed very much enjoy the [National Wilderness Preservation System], and 76 percent do not believe that the restrictions on mechanized use stated in the Wilderness Act diminish their ability to enjoy wilderness.
