Franciscans Add Track Chair to Make Trails More Accessible

Spending time in the great outdoors has proven health benefits, from lowering blood pressure to reducing anxiety to improving mood.

However, not everyone can easily go for a walk in the woods. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Lowell are hoping to change that. They have purchased a track chair to allow those with limited mobility to enjoy more of the four miles of trails at the Franciscan Life Process Center off Downes Street.

Longtime Goal of the Center

Cris Ritsema, site manager for the Franciscan Life Process Center, says it has been a longtime goal of the sisters to make their property more welcoming for those with physical disabilities.

“[Sister Mary Margaret] kept saying I wish we could make our trails more accessible,” Ritsema remembers. However, adding asphalt and decking would be expensive and require ongoing maintenance. Plus, those materials can become slippery.

It wasn’t until Ritsema read an article about a person using a track chair to go hunting that a solution clicked into place. As a motorized wheelchair with a tread system instead of wheels, it is designed to handle a variety of terrains.

Thanks to a matching grant from the Lowell Area Community Fund, the Franciscan Life Process Center was able to recently purchase a track chair, and it is now available for visitors to use free of charge.

Making Lowell Trails More Accessible

The track chair uses a simple control system that can be easily operated by the person seated. Children and adults who are unable to control the chair themselves can still benefit from it thanks to a separate joystick that allows someone walking alongside the chair to maneuver it. A 5-point harness keeps the occupant safely in the seat.

With the track chair, visitors can access much of the center’s grounds including the main trail, prairie, oak barrens, stations of the cross and rosary walk. However, it can’t be used on the nature trail because of some rough sections and inclines.

“One of the biggest things for us is to help people meet their potential,” Ritsema says. The addition of the track chair is hoped to further the ability of all people to enjoy the land at the 230-acre Franciscan Life Process Center and garner the benefits that come from being out in nature.

The track chair can be used free of charge on Mondays through Fridays from 9am-5pm. Call the center at 616-897-7842 to make an appointment and ensure the chair is ready for your visit.