Lots of directives, letters, and books on accessibility have been written. A new batch appears every time guidelines or policies change.

This guidebook is intended to help designers and recreation professionals apply the Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines (FSORAG) and Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG). These guidelines only apply on National Forest System lands. While they are official policy only for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, they contain useful concepts to help other agencies and organizations develop accessible outdoor recreation and accessible trails.

Once managers and designers understand what is needed, accessibility becomes integrated into the thinking, planning, designing, construction, and maintenance of every project, rather than being an afterthought. That's the way we need to do business, and that's why this guidebook was written.

Coordination among Forest Service employees and with volunteer partners will be essential to successfully implementing the FSORAG and FSTAG. The Forest Service is committed to helping ensure that the FSORAG and FSTAG are implemented.

Both the FSORAG and the FSTAG are based on the draft accessibility guidelines for outdoor developed areas created by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board). The Forest Service and other Federal agencies will work with the Access Board as it develops final accessibility guidelines for outdoor developed areas. When the Access Board finalizes its accessibility guidelines for outdoor developed areas, the Forest Service will revise the Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines and the Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines to incorporate the Access Board's standards, where those provisions are a higher standard, as supplemented by the Forest Service. The supplementation will ensure the agency's application of equivalent or higher guidelines and universal design, as well as consistent use of agency terminology and processes. Once the guidelines are final, any changes that are needed will be made to this guidebook and it will be reissued.