Havenwoods State Forest Offers New ‘Braille Trail’

People walking the new Braille Trail at Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources When Xinyue Hippe was working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on plans for a new state forest trail in Milwaukee, a question came up: Should organizers clear the trail of twigs, roots and rocks that people might encounter while walking it? It was an apt question, because Havenwoods State Forest would become home to Wisconsin’s first trail designed for people with blindness and low vision. Hippe, who is blind, is secretary of the board for the nonprofit Audio Braille Literacy Enhancement, or ABLE, which worked on the trail. She said there’s something empowering about being allowed to trip, just as anyone who can see might. And so the organizers decided not to scrub the trail of nature. “People have this idea that if you’re blind, you need your hand held, you need everything removed from your path,” Hippe told “Wisconsin Today.