I am a winter person. Snow and cold are my cup of tea, but they can dissuade even the hardiest soul from venturing outside.

One of the misconceptions that we in the independent living movement try to dispel is that people with disabilities are somehow so stymied by snow that they can't get out and enjoy this wonderful season.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

For people with disabilities, the times are changing for the better because there are more opportunities for inclusive winter recreation than ever before. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) continues to inspire progress for people with disabilities.

A little Internet research can help you find accessible attractions and activities all across New York.

The state is doing a terrific job of promoting accessibility awareness through its official “I Love New York” Web site (www.iloveny.com).

This site is a great general resource for planning for trips and excursions. It allows you to search for your desired activity by a number of criteria, including wheelchair accessibility. I did a little exploring and was pleased to see that activities like skiing provided multiple search hits for accessibility.

Even the design of the site has helped to increase accessibility by offering a button to allow a viewer to increase the font size to help those with visual impairments.

Another great site to explore is the New York State Inclusive Recreation Resource Center, headquartered at SUNY Cortland (cortland.edu/nysirrc).

This organization does research on best practices for improving accessibility in recreational facilities and activities. It also collects data and access to sites to get the word out about places for people with disabilities to enjoy inclusive recreational opportunities.

The Web site features an interactive map that allows you to search for accessible facilities and programs by region in any corner of the state. Although this is far from a comprehensive list, it is always growing.

I was pleased to see that the Finger Lakes region has dozens of sites and attractions on the list already. This list will soon grow even longer thanks to Options for Independence.

Last month, Options executive director Tracy Murphy and ombudsman/MSC coordinator Andrea Stratton completed training on inclusive recreation assessments. They will be putting this know-how to work across our community to increase knowledge about accessible recreation opportunities.

Be on the lookout for the Options team this spring as well, as we will be conducting universal trail assessments to help identify and promote accessible recreational trails.

In the meantime, if you have a favorite recreational spot in our community (whether it is bowling or even touring historic sites) that you would like to have the Options team evaluate for accessibility, please contact our office at 255-3447.

Collin M. Sullivan is the ADA/access advocate for Options for Independence