The event was co-sponsored by Cincinnati-based Bridge Adaptive Sports and Recreation, commonly known as the Bridge.
According to Miami officials, Tomoyasu became a member after he was paralyzed below the waist in a 2021 rock-climbing accident. He worked his way back to teaching and his research lab at Miami as well as his active lifestyle.
“One big thing after the injury was a loss of connection to nature. I felt a huge loss,” he said as participants gathered at the DeWitt Cabin parking area along Oxford Trenton Road before the recent event. “I’m trying to find a way to go back to nature. This is one of my attempts, and also to share with others.”
Miami’s Natural Areas comprise nearly 1,000 acres — about half of the 2,000- acre Oxford campus — and more than 23 miles of hiking trails. Established in 1992 by the Miami University Board of Trustees, the designated greenbelt lands are protected in perpetuity.
According to school officials, Danny Meyer, executive director of the Bridge, said this was the organization’s first visit to Oxford with its adaptive equipment (in this case handcycles) that could be used on the paved trails.
Adaptive or accessible design of parks and trails is important, Meyer said, calling it universal design. “It’s creating a space where regardless of your ability, whether you’re a beginning cyclist or you’re in a wheelchair, you all need the same style of trails. It’s thinking proactively about that.”
Miami alumna Audrey Van Auken, class of 2018, who earned a degree in athletic training, is the Bridge’s operations manager and first full-time employee.
“Yoshi is one of our best hand cyclists, so being able to do something that supports him in handcycling and also in his academic endeavors is great,” said Van Auken, who first discovered the Oxford trails as a Miami student and later as an associate athletic trainer working with athletic teams.
Hand cyclist Jacob Counts of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, came with his 8-year-old daughter, A.J., for the chance to ride with Yoshi and learn from the biologists.
“Me and my daughter enjoy riding and enjoy nature, and it seemed like a good opportunity to do something with the disability community where we’re engaging in sport but also learning something new,” Counts said.
Tomoyasu called the first Adaptive Nature Walk a success.
“Using iNaturalist was super fun, together we made 72 observations and identified 44 species,” Tomoyasu wrote in a Facebook post afterward.
“This event is something I have really wanted to organize, introducing the fun of learning about nature and biology to the disability community, while also introducing the disability community to my science colleagues. I believe we can learn so much from each other.”
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