Abstract
A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the demand of welfare institutions, for persons with disabilities, in Hokkaido for leisure activities in forests. This was done in order to obtain information on the demand for leisure activities in forests. Overall, the welfare institutions for persons with disabilities indicated their great interest in conducting leisure activities in forests. Many institutions chose the forest as a leisure destination. Furthermore, many requested for the improvement of facilities such as rest-rooms and pathways to allow for easy access by persons with disabilities. The result of the chi-square test indicated that institutions that did not demand for leisure activities in forests cited the difficult conditions as a reason. While institutions that catered to persons with physical and multiple disabilities requested for the improvement of facilities, those that catered to persons with mental disabilities requested for an enhanced forest experience program. With the wide acceptance of the normalization approach, the promotion of disabled persons’ social participation through leisure activities, and the spread of information with regard to the effects of forest relaxation, welfare institutions for persons with disabilities expect to see an increase in leisure activities in forests. In the future, the hardware and software required for the creation of a forest recreation space need to be improved, and people concerned with both welfare and forestry should hold constant discussions to promote forest leisure activities among persons with disabilities.
