Accessible Gardens
Gardening is for every body. Until recently, the Garden District Community Garden had no beds that a gardener with mobility needs could truly use. The Garden District Inclusive Gardening Project changed that — a set of wheelchair-accessible raised beds, reinforced pathways, and clear signage at the 6th Street Community Garden, built with the people who use them.
Beds Designed With Gardeners, For Gardeners
The accessible beds follow an open-source design shaped like a shallow "V" — a wheelchair user can roll right up and sit under the bed, reaching across the full 40-inch width instead of bending over a wall of soil. Built-in drainage keeps the beds from getting waterlogged and heavy, and only food-safe materials touch the soil.
The design was developed with input from community members with mobility needs, a UW–Milwaukee occupational therapy graduate student, and Partners in Policymaking graduates — and championed by GDNA's own Jessica Seawright, who led the project from idea to first harvest.
Getting There Is Part of the Design
- Reinforced permeable pathways (720 square feet of grid pavers) run from the north side of the garden to the watering station and the accessible beds — firm under wheels, even after rain.
- Signage marks the accessible pathways and beds.
- Accessible parking is being designated on the north side, so a wheelchair van can park right beside the pathways.
How It Happened
Phase I was funded by a $2,500 grant from the Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation (NIDC) through the City of Milwaukee's Community Improvement Project program, matched by community fundraising — about $4,500 invested in all. The first accessible beds were planted in the 2026 season, and planning for season two is already underway.
The garden's welcome extends further: every Wednesday morning, Centers for Independence brings its Farm 2 Table crew — nearly 70 clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities who weed, water, plant, and harvest in the hoop houses and beds. Their produce goes to local food pantries, the Garden District farmers market, and neighborhood restaurant kitchens.
Garden With Us
Interested in an accessible bed, or in helping the project grow in 2027? Contact Dawn Riegel, GDNA's Garden Coordinator — 414-379-2450 / dawn@milwaukeegdna.com — or see all the ways to volunteer. For all garden plots, visit Garden Beds →.