Geo-caching for wheelchair users: A pilot study in Luhačovské Zálesí (Czech Republic)

Abstract

An optional leisure activity in the countryside for wheelchair users is subject to discussion b in this article. Geo-caching is a leisure activity on the borders between tourism and sport, which appeals to a growing proportion of peoples globally. It can become a prospective part of social tourism as a leisure activity for persons with disabilities: this paper devotes attention to wheelchair users. In this research project we analysed how terrain difficulty and its markings reflect on the availability of caches to be gained by wheelchair users. The aim of the field survey was to verify if the caches indicated by the difficulty of the terrain (terrain level: 1 and 1.5) can be considered available for disabled people. The availability of the caches was also assessed based on the presence (aid) of an assistant. We found that access to most of the easily available caches contains small but critical constraints for wheelchair users – from path bumps to the very cache locations which are unreachable for wheelchair users. Therefore, we have proposed a set of recommendations and pictograms to make geo-caching more available for persons using wheelchairs and to expand their opportunities for active outdoor leisure activity. The results will be used to design access to natural sites for wheelchair users.

Keywords

• disabled people
• leisure time activities
• sustainable tourism
• accessibility
• road surface
• Czech Republic