Objective
This pilot garden advances AIR Collaborative’s aim to create a series of Universally Accessible Gardens on Rutgers land to foster spatial justice for people with disabilities. A Rutgers Research Council Social and Racial Justice Grant and the passionate involvement of students, staff, and faculty realized the construction of a small pilot garden on the site of 178 Jones Avenue in New Brunswick, where the new garden joins existing community gardens and the weekly Community Farmers Market.
This pilot was designed and built by landscape architecture students and will be programmed for and undertaken by people with disabilities. Interns from the Douglass Discovery Program accompanied the project from the concept to the opening and documented the process on social media.
See our pamphlet to learn more about the therapeutic benefits of gardening and the main principles of universal design.
Events
Anette Freytag and Meredith Taylor program the garden annually with planting and harvesting events. Currently, we partner with the Rutgers Adult Autism Center and the Rutgers Psychology Child Development Center. Teaching gardening techniques and cooking are in progress as is a wider range of programming.
On October 4, 2023, a lecture and panel discussion on Gardens, Nutrition and Health for People with Disabilities was hosted at the New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, followed by a visit of the garden at 178 Jones Avenue and a reception.
Contact anette.freytag@rutgers.edu if you are interested in gardening at the pilot garden.
Collaborators
Javier Robles, Rose Greenblatt (Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences) • Vincent Javet and Han Yan with students of the Spring 2023 Construction II Course at the Department of Landscape Architecture; Meredith Taylor (Rutgers School of Biological and Environmental Sciences) • Douglass Discovery Program Interns • Rutgers Adult Autism Center (Courtney Butler and team) • Rutgers Psychology Child Development Center (Jennifer Manuola and team) — All with AIR Collaborative (Anette Freytag, Jackie Thaw, Kristin O’Brassill-Kulfan and Julia M. Ritter for the Research Council Grant)
Support
Impact:
The findings of this project shall inform best practices for increasing accessibility of Rutgers’ natural resources for people with disabilities and fostering a sense of belonging and autonomy for participants. By creating this pilot of an accessible garden at 178 Jones Avenue in New Brunswick, we will assess the benefits of universal design and how reasonable modifications transform gardening into an activity for everyone regardless of age and ability.
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