ZEISS announces partnership with Birdability, a newly created non-profit organization based in the U.S., but with global reach. Birdability has been formed to increase inclusion and access in the birding community and the outdoors. Birdability’s vision is that birding is truly for everybody and their mission is to share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities, and to ensure birding is accessible for everyone. Besides financial support, ZEISS also provides different optics. “ZEISS sees itself as a true community partner and believes in supporting causes championing the inclusiveness Birdability seeks to develop awareness for,” stated Rich Moncrief, Manager, New Business Development, Nature and Observation.
Photo: Melanie Furr 
Photo: courtesy of Virginia Rose
Sharing the Joy of Birding with People with Low Vision
ZEISS optics will support the virtual programming and bring birds into the homes of many attendees who may have access challenges that prevent them from getting out and seeing these birds in-person. Freya McGregor, Birdability Coordinator and Occupational Therapist expressed, “They will also enable sharing the joys of birding with even more people during in-person events, closer and in clearer focus — particularly important for people with low vision”. Moncrief concludes, “We are sure this will allow more people with disabilities and other health concerns to fall in love with birds and the wonders of nature, and in turn, do what they can to protect our planet”.
The ZEISS sponsorship will also support Birdability in creating resources encouraging birders to contribute birding locations to the Birdability Map, a crowd-sourced global map of accessible birding locations, outlining details of the accessibility features of these locations, which allows birders with accessibility challenges to find out often vital access information about birding locations in advance.
About Birdability
Through education, outreach and advocacy, Birdability works to ensure the birding community and the outdoors are welcoming, inclusive, safe and accessible for everybody. They focus on people with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, chronic illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and those who are neurodivergent, deaf or hard of hearing or who have other health concerns. In addition to current birders, Birdability strives to introduce birding to people with disabilities and other health concerns who are not yet birders, so they too can experience the joys of birding.
For more information on how to support this cause, please visit Birdability.org
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