The prospective site of the native sensory garden to be developed through a SUNY Outdoors for All grant that will also fund five ADA accessible benches placed at various campus location.
SUNY Fredonia has been awarded an “Outdoors for All” grant to fund improvements to create a more inclusive outdoor environment.
The $8,000 SUNY mini grant will support the purchase and installation of five ADA-accessible benches and development of a low-maintenance native sensory garden to revitalize an existing outdoor space.
“We are beyond thrilled to have received this grant funding and are excited to continue working on accessibility and sustainability issues on campus,” said Jordan Stephens, interim Student Association president, who led a team of students that compiled SUNY Fredonia's grant application.
“With the launch of SUNY’s Outdoors for All program, we are working to ensure that our students have access to inclusive, welcoming and accessible outdoor spaces on- and off-campus.” - SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.
While the campus offers a variety of outdoor activities and spaces that promote wellness, sustainability and student engagement, several barriers limit participation in outdoor activities. The outdoor spaces were not developed with universal access in mind, so participation by students with mobility challenges and those less familiar with outdoor activities is restricted.
“These barriers could disproportionately affect Pell Grant recipients and first-generation students, who make up a significant portion of the campus,” said Mr. Stephens, a senior Business Administration major from LeRoy and Silver Springs, NY. The students comprise about 40 percent of campus enrollment.
While the campus provides open green spaces for recreation and community building, they are not currently accessible or equitably distributed among all students.
There are 475 students with disabilities that include mobility issues, according to the Office of Disability Support Services for Students.
“Given the park-like atmosphere of our campus, we project this project to impact at least a quarter of SUNY Fredonia students in the first year,” Stephens added, or nearly 800 students.
The sensory garden, designed for accessibility and sensory engagement, will feature native species such as swamp rose mallow, blue flag Irish, butterfly milkweed, cardinal flower and great blue lobelia.
Volunteers from the student sustainability club Fred Grows and the Student Sustainability Committee will assist Facilities Services staff with garden installation and maintenance.
“We currently have a few spaces on campus bookmarked and are working with Facilities Services, our chairs of accessibility and Sustainability and the Office of Disability Support [Services for Students] to determine the best and most accessible space for this native garden,” Stephens said.
Stephens worked with Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Judith Horowitz, Vice President for Student Affairs Tracy Stenger and Director of Facilities Planning Markus Kessler on the grant proposal.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.
The Outdoors for All program provides grants to support individual campuses in facilitating year-round opportunities and encouraging ties between co-curricular activities and academic and career opportunities in sustainability.
“With the launch of SUNY’s Outdoors for All program, we are working to ensure that our students have access to inclusive, welcoming and accessible outdoor spaces on- and off-campus,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.
