Expanding accessibility through “Parks for All” at Saguaro National Park
Western National Parks had the opportunity to interview Cam Solorio Juárez, Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator and Public Information Officer at Saguaro National Park, about an exciting new initiative. “Parks for All” aims to increase accessibility at the Tucson park through a universal design approach.
Read on to learn more about the initiative and don't miss Cam's engaging in-person presentation at The National Parks Store at 11 AM on May 13, 2026, to get a first-hand account of this exciting work.
Enriching the visitor experience at Saguaro National Park
Cam Solorio Juárez joined the staff at Saguaro National Park in 2016, the same year as the National Park Service’s centennial. As the NPS is tasked with conservation and creating meaningful visitor experiences, Cam worked to develop several pillars for public engagement.
“Parks for All” at Saguaro National Park
“We opted to create this strategy for engagement so we could take the park to the people and bring the concerns of the people to the park,” he said. Saguaro ultimately engaged with many different communities, including Latino/Latinx, Black and African American, Indigenous, and other groups. However, one gap in service that often went unaddressed was accessibility.
Cam identifies himself as both an “extroverted able-bodied person" and an "introverted disabled person.” He has two congenital birth defects—one affecting his heart and the other a limb difference. He holds a Master of Science in City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning from the University of Arizona. These lived experiences and professional background are just some of the many reasons he felt passionate about creating the “Parks for All” initiative.
“Parks for All” aims to recognize and include members of the accessibility community. Cam explained that he uses the African ubuntu greeting as a lens through which to approach this work.
“The greeting basically translates to, ‘I see you and I see your struggles,’ and the response is, ‘Thank you for seeing me and who I am,’” he said. “When someone recognizes you, you feel engaged. You feel included. Imagine what it would mean for this community to have trails and websites where they are seen and their needs are met.”
The goals of “Parks for All”
Understand how to make Saguaro more accessible.
In 2023, Cam applied for and was awarded a grant from the National Park Foundation to begin “Parks for All.” The project’s first phase has three primary goals. The first is identifying what Saguaro National Park is not currently doing and uncovering unknowns as staff determine how to address this gap in service.
This process has required extensive research and partnerships with other public lands sites to learn how they approached accessibility, as well as collaboration with Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports, a major support in how the park was able to partner with many wheelchair users, and the research team at the University of Arizona College of Public Health, including Dr. Martha Moore-Monroy. The research also examines potential impacts on the park’s environment.
A key component of both the research and resulting initiatives is a focus on universal design. Universal design aims to create environments that can be accessed, understood, and used by as many people as possible. Although Saguaro’s initiatives currently focus primarily on the mobility community, universal design ensures that everyone—whether or not they are currently part of the accessibility community—benefits from the resulting improvements. The process also includes extensive community feedback.
Update the NPS website with key accessibility information.
The second component of the first phase focuses on modifying Saguaro’s website. For many visitors, the website is the first—and sometimes only—way they learn what is available at the park. Accessible websites are especially important for members of the accessibility community, who often need to determine in advance whether park resources meet their needs.
Cam highlighted that one major advantage of a website is its ability to evolve alongside the needs and preferences of the accessibility community. For example, while American Sign Language-based resources were once widely preferred for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, closed-captioned resources are now often favored.
A key website update will involve using data gathered through the National Accessibility Coordinator’s High Efficiency Trail Assessment Program (HETAP), which collected information on the majority of Saguaro’s 175 miles of trails. The collected information includes trail width, incline, types of barriers, the location of benches, and video footage of trail routes.
“What we learned from that data is that narrow percent of Saguaro National Park’s trails can currently be defined as accessible,” Cam said. The hope is to include sped-up trail videos on the website so visitors can gain a clear understanding of what resources are available in different areas of the park.
Train staff and volunteers.
The final component of the initial phase involves creating internal training modules for staff and volunteers to help ensure a welcoming experience for visitors in the accessibility community. Cam emphasized that the accessibility community is highly diverse and exists on a spectrum, making it essential to respect individuals’ preferences, including those related to language.
The training will also include guidance on etiquette and may eventually lead to the creation of an advisory board.
“This work would not have been possible without the partnership of Executive Director Mia Hansen and the team of staff and volunteers at Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports,” Cam shared. “Mia goes above and beyond to support the needs of this diverse community. She's just a wonder.”
Group of volunteers for the "Park for All" initiative at Saguaro National Park.
Intersection of lived experiences
Cam described the volunteer efforts of this community as an “intentional intersection of lived experiences” and such an integral element to this work. Volunteers included a Chinese American Paralympian, a member of the refugee community, and a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation who described this project as the first time he'd been able to spend time with the saguaros since facing increasing mobility difficulty.
“They volunteered their time, their perspectives, and their devices to support this project,” Cam said. “Without them and the inspiring support and coordination of Mia Hansen, this work would not have been possible."
Learn more and follow for updates
Although still in its early phases, “Parks for All” aims to provide the accessibility community with the resources needed to fully experience the beauty and wonder of Saguaro National Park.
Learn more about the initiative during Cam’s in-person presentation at The National Parks Store at 11 AM on May 13, 2026.
