A Comparison of Rail-Trail Preferences between Adults with and Without Disabilities
in Adapted Physical Activity QuarterlyThis study compared the trail setting preferences of a group of users having disabilities and a group without. On-site interviews and follow-up mail surveys were used to gather data from 1,705 men and women age 16 and older who were using one of three multipurpose rail-trails in Iowa, California, and Florida. Preferences for 27 setting attributes of such trails were measured using 7-point Likert-type scales. Preferences between the two groups were found to differ significantly (.05 level) for only 7 attributes. Findings indicated that people with and without disabilities are more similar than different in their usage and preferences for outdoor recreation. It was concluded that there is a need for research examining ways to enhance the inclusion of people with disabilities in outdoor recreation settings.
Roger Moore is with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Box 8004, Raleigh, NC 27695. John Dattilo and Mary Ann Devine are with the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-3655.
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