All Humans Outside: Healing in Nature

🌿 I’m thrilled to share that my story is featured in the newly released book, All Humans Outside: Stories of Belonging in Nature—an inspiring collection of voices from diverse communities redefining what it means to belong outdoors. 🧏🏽‍♀️🌎✨

Published by MountaineersBooks, this anthology highlights real experiences of people who connect with nature in deeply personal and transformative ways. As a Deaf nature guide and storyteller, I’m honored to represent the Deaf and Disabled community in this work, and to uplift stories that show the outdoors is for all of us—not just a privileged few.

This book is more than pages—it’s a movement. And I hope it inspires new conversations around accessibility, inclusion, and healing in wild places.

Tommy's lens isn't just capturing landscapes; it's capturing the stories etched on the faces of those who defy expectations in the outdoors. My story? It's one carved by the cypress swamps of North Florida, where my Deafness wasn't a barrier, but a birthright to a unique connection with nature.

My childhood wasn't playgrounds, it was wading through wetlands with my wildlife biologist dad. He wasn't just showing me a world, he was teaching me respect - for the land, the creatures, and the silent language of the wild. It was here, on a hike with Dad and a friend, that my heightened visual awareness came into play. Dad, with his long strides, nearly stepped over a sunbathing cottonmouth. I froze, the white flash of its warning a stark contrast to the swamp greens. That day, Deafness wasn't a limitation, it was my superpower - a sharper eye for the unseen.

Being Deaf, my other senses are on overdrive. I feel the earth vibrate beneath my feet, the brush of a creature against my canoe. Dad, the master mimic, would translate the animal calls into vibrations on his throat, a secret language just for me.

Fast forward to school and college. Deaf role models in the outdoors? Nonexistent. The system steered me towards a world of fluorescent lights and screens - a path that led straight to burnout. Therapy offered no solace, but a memory from art class flickered - nature therapy. So, I took a leap of faith, landing in the wild embrace of Alaska.

Hiking, gardening, simply being enveloped by nature - it was a balm to my soul. Back home, I discovered the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, a program that resonated deeply. Now, I'm the guide, helping others reconnect with the forgotten magic of the outdoors, the things they might miss with their heads buried in phones. It's about slowing down, breathing deep, and letting the memories surface. Nature, for me, has been a mirror reflecting my identity - Deaf, queer, and ever-evolving. Here, labels fall away, just like the need for sound. The world expects conformity, a certain sound and look. But nature? Nature embraces our authentic selves.

My work goes beyond the able-bodied norm. I guide people of all abilities - wheelchair users, blind folks - and it's clear: accessibility is a human construct, not nature's. Nature welcomes everyone, no restrictions. I challenge the idea that experiencing the outdoors requires specific abilities. Instead, I promote mindful, heartfelt exploration - because you don't need to hear nature to feel its soul.

In Tommy's project, I see a reflection of my own journey – a testament to the diversity of the human experience in the wild. It's stories like these that open the door for others to see themselves reflected in the beauty and vastness of the natural world.

📘 Grab your copy directly from the publisher: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/all-humans-outside-stories-of-belonging-in-nature Or support your favorite independent bookstore!

🌟 If it speaks to you, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads—those reviews help these stories reach more people.

[video description: Summer walks in the dining room carrying a brown box, they open the box and reveal a bright red colorful book with the title: “All Humans Outside”. They have an excited expression on their face as they reveal the pages, flipping through them and showing the camera their pages along with other spotlighted Deaf people in the book.]

These video were interviews done by Tommy Corey after our photo shoot. Sharing it here:

Summer Crider, Nature and Forest Therapy guide

1. Who are you and how do you like to connect to nature?

“Hi, my name is Summer. I live in the forest. I connect to nature by wandering, letting myself get lost and finding my soul.

2. How is your experience in the outdoors enhanced by being deaf?

“I’m Deaf. Growing up, I’ve often felt disconnected. I struggled to fit in and to be accepted, I was stuck with all of the labels society had given me. However, when I’m out in nature, I know the forest accepts me fully as I am. There is no struggle. When doing shinrin-yoku where I guide others, the forest shows them acceptance and how to love themselves. Don’t settle for society’s labels - be yourself!

3. Talk about the work you do and how you help others connect to nature through silence.

When I guide people into the forest, whether it be with Deaf or hearing participants, I help them connect with their senses. I challenge them to let go of some of their primary senses. For example, I encourage hearing people to soften their listening, to withhold from speaking. I tell them that they don’t need to say anything. That through silence they may be able to discover more. There is something healing about just being quiet. That’s something I bring to nature and forest therapy.