Providence, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Accessibility of amenities

Description: Community Libraries of Providence addressed a safety gap that kept some neighbors from participating in outdoor library programs. At Knight Memorial Library, the ramp and stairs leading to the lawn lacked secure handrails, making access stressful for older adults using canes, walkers or wheelchairs. The project installed new handrails along both sides of the accessible ramp and repaired the handrail on the street staircase, building on earlier accessibility improvements. A patron wrote that she had stopped attending evening Spanish classes because she was afraid of the stairs. The improvements reopened outdoor programs to neighbors with limited mobility and advanced the library's longer-term accessibility goals.

Duluth, MN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Accessibility of amenities

Description: The Center will improve the accessibility of a community garden by installing safe walkways, ramps, handrails and benches so community members can use the garden plots to grow healthy food, get exercise and host social events.

Hyde Park, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Accessibility of amenities

Description: Elsa French Park is a new pocket park featuring lilacs bushes and gardens planted on the grounds of an historic home. This project ensured the accessibility of the space for residents and visitors of all ages and ability levels. The Village of Hyde Park installed two ADA-accessible picnic tables, along with an accessible pathway with a ramp and detectible edges for visitors with disabilities. Project organizers say the improvements helped lay the groundwork for ongoing development of the site, which they envision as an important gathering space in a community that lacks a central town square. In addition, the Village has repurposed the house on the property to house municipal offices and a community meeting space.