Skip to main content
John Freeborn

John Freeborn

Park Manager of Ridgway State Park for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, known for expanding accessibility programs like the Track-Chair Program and adaptive recreation equipment.

Aug 27, 2026

24:47
actually are the ones on the ground doing all of the stuff.
24:51
It touches personally quite a bit where I was involved in a pretty bad car accident and I was hospital bound for quite a while, wasn't able to get outside.
25:01
So to really know the healing effects of what it feels like to get outside and be in nature means a whole lot.
25:11
So I personally know or can relate to a lot of those same feelings that hopefully some of these folks are feeling when they are able to get out here and experience this as well.

9 MINS LATER

34:45
Those kinds of moments wouldn't be possible, in John's eyes, without all the accessibility equipment at the park, along with the staff and infrastructure supporting it.
34:54
So what I was going to expand on from some of the things I said before was that, you know, going through my process of healing the physical side of things, I found to be easy, easier.
35:11
versus the mental side of things the physical stuff you can do physical PT you can do medicines you can do surgeries you can do different things to heal the body or get through some of the physical stuff but Mental healing is extremely hard.
35:29
And I think being able to get outside and feel the sun, the heat of the sun and the wind and hear the birds and smell, you know, the sage and the junipers and just kind of see all the colors and everything, get out of that sterile environment of a hospital or your home.

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click “Accept All” to consent, or “Decline non-essential” to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.