A team of Michigan State University students are hitting the road this spring break. Their mission: To improve resources for travelers with accessibility concerns.
The College of Communications Arts and Sciences’ Media Sandbox Street Team will be working with The Disabled Traveler, a Michigan-based nonprofit that serves as a resource for travelers with physical or age-related difficulties. As part of the project, the team will head to Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks to document these two parks and their accessibility features.
Accessibility information about national parks can sometimes be difficult to find or is not readily available, which is why The Disabled Traveler works to bring this information together in one easy-to-use place.
This is accomplished by photographing national parks and their accessibility features, as well as gathering accessibility information on each park and posting it to The Disabled Traveler website.
As part of their documentation at Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, the MSU team plans to showcase individuals with disabilities who are using the parks in inspirational ways and will tell their stories.
In addition to documenting the accessibility features at these two parks, the students will redesign The Disabled Traveler website, which will include interactive maps, and will provide the nonprofit with a new logo, brand guide and strategy, printed brochure with maps, and improved social media.
The trip to Zion and Bryce national parks isn't the first time the Media Sandbox Street Team is traveling outside of East Lansing to help nonprofits with their marketing and promotional needs.
Last year, the Street Team spent spring break traveling to the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, and along the way helped four nonprofit organizations improve their communication strategies and marketing capabilities. The team also has helped the Georgia Street Community Collective in Detroit and the Women's Resource Center in the Grand Traverse Area.