Caring for the Caregivers: How the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center Supports Equitable Environmental Access

Spending time in nature is vital to our overall well-being, helping us nurture an all-around better quality of life. And for people living with mental and physical disabilities, who far too often lack access to outdoor spaces, these benefits are amplified. Outdoor activities, notes the Center for Urban Policy Research, can help people with disabilities improve their heart health, increase their mobility, and reduce the risk of secondary conditions.

That’s why we’re committed to supporting organizations like the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center (AOEC), which is on a mission to break down the barriers to outdoor access that the more than 340,000 people with disabilities in Maine face every day.

One of our longstanding grantee partners, the AOEC offers innovative programming and an inclusive culture of caring to expand equitable outdoor access throughout Maine.

Shining Light on the Caregivers

With locations in Brunswick, Dedham, and Carrabassett Valley, the AOEC offers adaptive camps, workshops, and more to ensure all people — of all abilities — can experience the joy of being outside. Since its founding in 2015, the AOEC has prioritized connection, community, and collaboration in everything it does.

The AOEC team developed the “Best Buddies” program to match volunteers with program participants for regular outdoor recreation. They started the Wheel Together Retreat to give adults with spinal cord injuries the opportunity to prioritize whole body health. They even formed partnerships with organizations like the Special Olympics and Central Maine Adaptive Sports to expand the AOEC’s impact throughout the state.

But along the way, the AOEC team recognized an underserved group within their work: the caregivers who work tirelessly to support their clients and loved ones.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, caregivers disproportionately experience mental health conditions, chronic lack of sleep, and ongoing health issues. As one AOEC caregiver puts it: “As much as I love my role as a caregiver, I am tired, challenged, and often confused.”

Driven by their values and deep-rooted community connections, the AOEC team set out to take care of the caregivers. In addition to offering two adaptive outdoor camping trips to Acadia National Park and fly fishing education to high school students in Maine, the AOEC used grant funding to implement programming specifically for caregivers.

Restorative, Reparative Retreats

In collaboration with Brutally Beautiful — a business owned by women with disabilities, focused on evidence-based healing practices — the AOEC held two caregiver retreat weekends in Carrabassett Valley.

During the retreats, 17 caregivers participated in outdoor wellness activities such as yoga, meditation, nature walks, forest baths, ziplining, and more. For the attendees, the experience was both mentally and physically impactful. “Being able to live life in the beautiful Maine natural setting with other caregivers for the very first time in my 33 years of caregiving gave me the much-needed rest and space to delve deep into my heart and soul,” says one caregiver.

But the retreats also represented something more symbolic, signaling to the participants that they matter and they’re not alone in their work or struggles. And attendees felt the deep impact of that sense of belonging and community. One caregiver notes, “I was able to laugh, cry, talk, listen, learn, and grow with like-individuals by my side. People I know I now share a special bond with.”

Being outdoors and away from their duties with others who understand their roles allowed the caregivers to gain a fresh perspective on their work and community. “The entire retreat allowed honesty, safety, and sharing with no judgment,” says one participant.

Investing in a Community of Care

With a dedicated team, powerful community collaborations, and grant funding, the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center was able to ensure that each retreat went off without a hitch.

Because each retreat profoundly impacts those who give so much to their work, the AOEC is committed to giving back to caregivers through ongoing and extended programming. In October of this year, for example, the AOEC will be hosting its sixth-annual caregiver retreat, helping 18 attendees use nature to prioritize their mental, physical, and emotional health.

Like all of the AOEC’s programming, these caregiver retreats not only foster support and community, but also help the organization advance its mission of expanding access to nature for all.

The AOEC’s work and dedication to helping the helpers resonates deeply with our values of accessibility and inclusion and our goal of expanding equitable outdoor access. One AOEC retreat participant’s words say it all: “Self-care is so important, even if it’s getting out in nature and just breathing. And we need community, as we cannot do this life alone.”