Visit the park to determine the suitability of the field study site.

• Are suitable facilities available for the handicapped (e.g., restrooms, ramps, tapes, visual materials, boardwalk trails)?
• Is access to the specific field study site(s) in the park possible? Are there any especially hazardous areas (e.g., steep grades on trails inappropriate for wheelchairs, sandy or marshy areas)?
• Are any programs or exhibits specifically designed for handicapped individuals available (e.g., braille labels, tactile exhibits, taped tour guides, special trails)?

Adapt the activity. Most field activities are designed for visually able, ambulatory students. Activities can be enhanced for handicapped students in several ways, such as stressing multi-sensory observations or changing the pace at which the activity is conducted. For example, visually handicapped students can study birds by listening to their songs or learn to identify trees by feeling the shape of the leaves. It may be necessary to "relocate" natural finds to sites where they can be observed safely and studied by handicapped students. You may also need to modify the directions by tape recording, reproducing in large print or braille, or making a signer available. Make every effort to allow handicapped students to work independently on and fully participate in the activities.

Adapt the equipment for the field study as needed. Simple modifications of existing equipment can help in involving the handicapped in the field experience. Measuring devices, like meter sticks or graduated cylinders, can be adapted by notching or taping to allow visually impaired students to make tactile measurements. Wheelchair-bound students can coliect water samples if long handles are placed on cups or scoops. These modiiications take only a little creativity and time on the part of the teacher and can allow for full participation.

Assign appropriate roles within the group. Examine the various group roles for those appropriate for handicapped students. For example, in "Habitat Hunt" a student in a wheelchair would not be able to go into a river or stream to collect water samples but could collect and study soil samples or record the data as it is collected.

Avoid the temptation to water-down the content rather than modifying the method of presenting the content. A teacher's expectations should not be any lower for physically handicapped students.

Be attuned to the abilities of the students, presenting the information and expecting the students to conduct the activity at an appropriate level. Pacing of the activity is important for these groups, and the instructor should be flexible enough to adapt the activity if one aspect is of particular interest to the students.

Avoid stressful situations in the field by practicing skills and necessary decision-making before the trip.

      Special situations call for special perspectives, offering the entire group new ways to perceive and learn about the environment. By adapting methods and materials for the handicapped, new and effective teaching approaches appropriate for all students are discovered.