Proposed sensory trail in Goshen would be developed for those with disabilities

According to Theresa Sailor, grant writer and educator with Goshen Department of Environmental Resilience, should the grant application be successful, the funding would go toward creation of a new sensory trail designed to benefit adults with disabilities.

“The funding will be matched by approximately $10,000 in local in-kind support,” she added of the grant. “ADEC Inc. will provide local technical support for the project.”

Sensory trails are built to have a series of experiences along a route designed for users to engage with their different senses, she explained. Varied surfaces and stations housing different smells and sounds are features of sensory trails..

“The project proposes developing a GPS-enabled app accessed by a phone or tablet while on the trail to connect users to nature in a fully immersible sensory trail experience,” Sailor said. “The app will locate and identify unique natural features, pinpoint interactive spaces where individuals can participate in their sensory experience, and provide opportunities where users can select to listen to music, poetry or historical information.”

In addition, Sailor noted that the project also proposes to add online experiences, including stationary live nature cameras to provide people who cannot participate on the trail with accessibility to the same mental health benefits of the sights and sounds of nature from their homes.