BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The Brevard Zoo is helping people with disabilities take to the water to enjoy the outdoors more easily.

Off the beaten path from where the lions and other wildlife live at the Brevard Zoo, sits the 22-acre wetlands, a peaceful serene place where kayakers like Karen Kirkland can explore wildlife and paddle their way to relaxation.

"Lots of different birds, I keep hoping i find the eagle's nest, but not so far," Karen said as she paddled through the water.

She hasn't had the chance to enjoy the kayaking experience much, and it's not because the retired CPA doesn't have the time.

Karen was stricken with polio when she was just nineteen months old and uses a wheelchair to get around everywhere she goes.

The zoo's new EZ Launch Accessible Transfer System allows Karen to move from her chair to a seat, slide over and be lowered into a kayak or canoe on a floating dock.

"Just the ability to get outside in nature, and just to be outside," she said. "I haven't been back here a lot so I didn't know what was back here, it's quiet."

Karen loves nature, but is limited on where she can go, even though she says she stays as active as she possibly can.

"This opens up the opportunity for people with paralysis or mobile deficits, and it allows them to get out on the water," said Brevard Zoo inclusion coordinator Kristin Gunderson.

According to the CDC, one in four Americans have some type of disability, and the most common affects their mobility.

That means people like Karen don't have access to many recreational activities, but now the peaceful winding river around the zoo is a place she can enjoy more easily.​

"I realize that everything doesn't have to be about me, but it's nice they think about those things," Karen said.

The new accessible kayaking experience was paid for with a grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.​