Dubuque County Conservation hosted its first Adaptive Outdoor Adventure Day on Saturday at Heritage Pond.
Mark Kelsch, who has Down syndrome, used a track wheelchair and pedaled on an adaptive bike at the event.
Kelsey Gesling, a direct support professional for REM Iowa who works with Kelsch, said the event highlighted the barriers people with disabilities face every day.
“I think it’s good to have this out here so other people that don’t have to use it can feel what other people have to go through,” Gesling said.
The event featured adaptive bikes and fishing poles. Dubuque County Conservation said it wants to add more equipment.
“We just need to get more equipment out here because clearly there is a group that is looking for it. So far we’ve already had probably almost close to 40 people come through in the first two hours,” said Kaytlan Moeller, Dubuque County Conservation outreach coordinator.