Georgia

New partnership allows mobility-impaired to use all-terrain chairs to volunteer in disaster areas

By WSBTV.com News Staff
The chairs are designed to help “navigate more difficult types of terrain” and give people who use wheelchairs “the ability to hit the trails and easily navigate through mud, water, sand and snow.” (PHOTO: Georgia Department of Natural Resources)
By WSBTV.com News Staff

GEORGIA — An organization that enables those with mobility impairments to enjoy the natural resources that Georgia has to offer is partnering with The American Red Cross for a unique program.

All Terrain Georgia (ATG) is an initiative of Aimee Copeland Foundation (ACF) in partnership with Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

ACF, in partnership with DNR houses and maintains all-terrain chairs for free rental to enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor events.

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ATG will have a total of 23 all-terrain chairs in Georgia’s State and National Parks by the end of March 2024.

Their new partnership with The American Red Cross will allow wheelchair-reliant individuals to volunteer on the front lines in disaster areas.

“We are so excited to be able to partner with such an amazing organization as The American Red Cross to spread our advocacy to individuals who are facing some of the most catastrophic events to affect them in their lifetimes. Aimee Copeland Foundation is dedicated to making sure that we help as many people as we possibly can. In doing that we are extending our reach to individuals who want to help others and may not be able to because of mobility impairments,” Philip Shadle, CEO Aimee Copeland Foundation said.

In 2012, Aimee Copeland fell from a zipline near the Tallapoosa River.

In a cut on her leg, she developed necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacterial infection.

Doctors had to amputate her hands, feet, and entire left leg.

“A part of me died. A version of me that I was then died,” Copeland told Channel 2′s Linda Stouffer.

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During her rehabilitation, she suffered from anxiety and realized how much she needed time outside.

So she found a mission: to bridge the gap between accessibility and nature.

So she launched the Aimee Copeland Foundation and All Terrain Georgia, which provides free, high-mobility, all-terrain wheelchairs, now at 11 Georgia state parks.

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