First in the nation: Natural Bridge State Park pioneers accessibility for the blind

It’s a first in the country: Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia is the first state park in the U.S. to install RightHear, creating a fully accessible location for people who are blind or have low vision.

Layne Johnson enjoys hiking with his wife. The couple lived near the Grand Canyon at one point, but his world changed quickly when he started losing his sight.

“I first noticed vision changes in January of 2020. By June of 2021, I was declared legally blind,” Johnson said.

Now living in Virginia, the couple continues hiking at places, like Natural Bridge State Park.

“When I first got the diagnosis and I first let the kids know, my oldest son asked, ‘Dad, is there anything you want to do while you still have eyesight?’ Which was the best possible thing he could have asked because that was the beginning of my blind bucket list,” Johnson said.

Johnson has been using RightHear, an app for smartphones, that helps people navigate and understand their surroundings in more than 2,300 enabled locations. He suggested the technology to Natural Bridge State Park staff. It is now the first state park in the country to install the beacons at strategically located spots in the park to give visitors information as they walk by.

“As you come to the visitors center, it will introduce the visitors center,” demonstrated Dave Myers, the assistant park manager as our team is standing in front of the entrance. “But the really cool feature about this is we have input directional settings, so when you face your phone to the east, you push the middle [of your phone].”

The app then tells you, “Restrooms and stairway to base camp and Cedar Creek Trail,” giving you additional information so you know what is around you.

Johnson hopes this is just the beginning of parks using RightHear.

“It’s not just about here at Natural Bridge. Really, it’s getting the ball rolling so that this becomes everywhere, so that we have the same access to everywhere that anybody else does,” Johnson said.

As Johnson hikes, he hears the narrator share information that other people can read on the signs throughout the park with details like wildlife and history.

“Its first owner, Thomas Jefferson, called it the most sublime of nature’s works. It has inspired visitors for hundreds of years,” the app said as he stopped to listen.

“People are really excited. We’re getting many phone calls, and we’re having new visitors to the park we’ve never had before that are experiencing the park because of this new system,” Myers said.

“It gives a person who is blind the ability to totally independently navigate a trail,” said Lou Smith, who was visiting from Maryland on the day of the ribbon cutting in August to celebrate the advancement.

It is giving users a sense of freedom.

“I think that this has the potential to really increase my independence, to navigate a trail or a situation such as this, as a person who’s blind,” Smith said.

“I think it’s a big game changer for a couple of reasons. The visually impaired community, certainly. We have folks that come from all over the world to visit our state parks,” said Melissa Baker, the director of Virginia State Parks. “The translation capabilities in this as well will help them experience the park as well.”

There are signs noting the accessible spots, with the Bluetooth beacon, which allows the users to hear the audio descriptions of where they are.

“At 200 feet tall, the Natural Bridge is estimated to weigh 36,000 tons or as much as 2,500 school busses,” the app narrated in one spot of the trail.

“It’s an honor to be the first. We hope that we are an inspiration to parks across the world to look into technologies like this, so all people, no matter how they experience life, can enjoy the park,” Myers said.

There are limitations with the technology, like cellphone service and cost. Myers said sometimes the beacons have a hard time connecting quickly with the app, but eventually they do. Park staff is also learning about how the system works so they can help anyone who comes through.

The Rockbridge Community Health Foundation and Friends of Natural Bridge State Park helped pay for the technology and make it possible for the next five years.

“Let’s put it this way: I don’t think it’s reached its potential yet. I think that there are things that I haven’t even imagined yet still to come through these beacons that are going to improve my quality of life and the quality of life for people like me, in ways that I haven’t even been able to conceive of yet,” said Johnson, who wishes more places will add the system so he can be more independent.

Myers said other Virginia state parks and parks outside of the Commonwealth have called to ask about possibly implementing RightHear where they are.

Key features of the RightHear system at Natural Bridge State Park include:

• Real-time audio assistance: The RightHear mobile app, available for both iOS and Android, provides users with real-time audio guidance and information about the Bridge, visitor center and other areas of the park.
• Orientation assistance: Users can effortlessly acquire better orientation, receive audio descriptions about their surroundings and easily locate important areas, enhancing their overall experience and independence.
• Event and service information: The RightHear system is capable of delivering detailed information about upcoming events and any relevant announcements, ensuring that everyone is well-informed when they arrive at the park.

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