Direct Access partnered with DuBois & King, a Vermont based engineering firm to develop the Stormwater and Accessibility plan for Bethel in Windsor County, Vermont. This will be the state’s first-ever village accessibility plan. It will become a model for other towns and villages.
Since September 2021 we have worked to develop:
• Facilities and accessibility audits of selected premises along Main Street, Bethel.
• Accessibility audits of sidewalks, parks, and trailheads.
• A rural accessibility guide.
• Support and advise partners with creating accessible maps and reports, for example in large print, with audio description or sign language.
The accessibility program is designed to support businesses and the local community to identify ways in improving accessibility for residents and visitors. This includes walking, bike paths and trails, traffic, and pedestrian safety. Connections between the downtown area, the school, recreation center and some of the historic buildings are also included. In addition to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, the program is drawing on the Vermont Access Rules and best practices from other states.
Bethel is near Interstate 89, half an hour’s drive south of the state capital Montpelier, and 2.5 hours drive northwest of Boston.
This project is funded by the Vermont Better Connections program, a collaboration of the Vermont Agency of Transportation and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Bethel on the national stage
Bethel is featured in the 2007 Will Smith film I Am Legend, as a fortified colony of uninfected survivors from a “cancer cure” that mutates into a virus and becomes a pandemic in the film’s then-future of December 2009.
Bethel White granite has been quarried in Bethel, Vermont since the 19th century and has been used for iconic buildings including Union Station, Washington DC, the Wisconsin State Capital Building, and the Western Union Building in New York City.
68 Harrison Avenue,
6th Floor,
Boston,
MA 02111.
4600 140th Avenue North,
Suite 180,
Clearwater,
FL 33762.
Explore our free guides on accessibility and inclusion, crafted by our experts. Click Here.