PITTSFIELD, Mass. — When hiking, Sheila Collins may not be able to see the path she’s walking on so well, but she can still sense of the magnificence of the nature surrounding her.

“I love the air, and hearing birds and feeling the warmth of the sun,” the Chicopee resident said.

A soft breeze rustled through the strands of her hair recently as she prepared to explore a walking trail near Berry Pond at Pittsfield State Forest. Collins, whose vision is impaired, was in the company of a group organized by Stavros Outdoor Access and the Universal Access Program funded through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The state program is celebrating its 20th year of striving to provide programs, structural features and equipment that make state parks and recreational sites accessible to people year-round, regardless of their range of abilities.

“It’s an amazing program, and it’s been a beautiful experience getting to visit all the state parks offered,” said Maya Apfelbaum of Greenfield, a friend who accompanies Collins.

DCR Program Coordinator Marcy Marchello joined in on the special Pittsfield State Forest hike last week, and said the Universal Access Program has “definitely grown since we started 20 years ago.”

She said the state created the Universal Access Program in direct response to the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, now celebrating its 25th anniversary of enactment.

The program’s founder and director, Tom McCarthy, is a polio survivor himself. In a statement launching the 20th year of the program, McCarthy said: “Our Universal Access Program is one of the most innovative and ground-breaking programs in the nation. It has helped make the recreation programs in our state and urban parks more inclusive, so that people with disabilities can participate independently or with their friends and families in a wide variety of activities.”

Marchello said the program – once a small program that offered mostly adapted rowing and cycling opportunities at a handful of sites – now reaches an average of 2,400 people a year across DCR’s parks, beaches and campgrounds through a directed initiative funded for the state parks system. Specialized programs also can be organized for groups ranging from youths to military veterans.

In the Berkshires, Marchello said she’s been able to direct people to accessible sites ranging from a hiking loop atop Mount Greylock to the adaptive sleds offered at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink. She said funding is being sought to expand offerings, particularly in western Massachusetts.

Outdoor Access founder Brenda Davies has partnered with the Universal Access Program since 2001. In addition to staff expertise, Outdoor Access has brought modified walkers and TerraTrek wheelchairs to parks.

Davies said she had known many people who were housebound because of the challenges they faced. She started Outdoor Access to meet the need for a more supportive way of helping people get out and about.

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