Designing Inclusive and Accessible Communities for Marion County, Ohio
Submission Date: June 2018
State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Ohio
States/Territories Involved: Ohio
Funding Source: CDC
CDC Funding:Yes
CDC Funding (Specified):Other CDC Funding
Domain Addressed:Environmental Approaches
Public Health Issue:According to the 2015 Marion Community Health Assessment, about 17% of Marion County’s population lives with a
disability. Most of them have ambulatory difficulties, and only 17% reported participating in physical activity at
least four days per week, compared with about 31% of the general population.
Inclusive communities provide people with disabilities equal access to opportunities for healthy living, including
physical activity.
The Marion Creating Healthier Communities coalition used the Community Health Inclusion Index to conduct an inclusion and accessibility assessment of several county sectors.
This process revealed opportunities for disability inclusion in the development of community health strategies.
One of the most promising opportunities identified was improving access to the Tallgrass Trail, a popular community trail where people from within and outside the county come to walk, run, and bike.
The coalition chose the trail as a focus for its efforts, based on the inclusion assessment results and organizational readiness. The assessment identified the need for sidewalk access to the 12-mile trail and a storage building to house inclusive equipment.
Impact/Accomplishments:Sidewalk improvements now connect the parking lot to the trail and to a new equipment storage building, making access easier for all.An adaptive equipment expo, convened at the Tallgrass Trail received more than 100 attendees and assessed participant interest, provided education, and gathered community input and data on inclusive health design, including 16 equipment evaluations.
As a result of community input, the coalition established a new adaptive bike share program to store, maintain, and lend bikes adapted for people with disabilities that will begin in spring 2018.
The coalition anticipates positive outcomes from these changes for people with disabilities, including improved social connections, increased access to physical activity opportunities, and reduction of the financial burden of purchasing and maintaining adaptive equipment.
Program Areas:Health Equity and Cultural Competency, Healthy Communities (general), Social Determinants of Health
State Contact Information:
OH
Erin Creeden
Marion Public Health
740-692-9128
ecreeden@marionpublichealth.org