Neurodiversity Outside: Stephen Offutt of Walking Discovery
In Baltimore, Maryland, Stephen Offutt is reshaping outdoor engagement for neurodivergent communities. My conversation with Stephen for DEIB Outdoors blog reveals a personal tale turned into a communal gateway for inclusive exploration.
Join me as I delve into Stephen's innovative approach to adventure with Walking Discovery, where every step outside is an invitation to belonging and shared experiences.
Stephen's journey with Walking Discovery started back in 2017. But his connection with helping others, especially those who are neurodivergent, began way before that.
Growing up with ADHD and understanding the challenges of keeping up in school and social circles, Stephen found his calling. With a background rich in support and education through family influence, Stephen saw the perfect opportunity to blend his passion with purpose.
Walking Discovery is a “getting out there” community where people can bond over shared experiences without the pressure of fitting into a specific box. It’s about using the simple act of walking and being outside as a bridge to exploration and connection.
Stephen’s approach is wonderfully inclusive – speed and distance aren’t the focus. Instead, the goal is to provide a space where everyone can move at their own pace, ensuring no one is left behind.
The variety of activities is a big part of what makes Walking Discovery special. It offers everything from quiet board games to adrenaline-boosting amusement park excursions to walks around town.
And when it comes to those weekend walks, it’s not about the miles; it’s about the smiles. Stephen keeps it fun with quirky facts and figures about their achievements, like equating their steps to walking across New York City.
Coming up with such a variety of fun, neurodiverse-friendly activities requires that Stephen understand the needs of the community and use a mix of trial and error. He picks places that are cool, accessible, and welcoming for all.
The significance of neurodiverse folks being visible in public spaces is not lost on Stephen and his group. Stephen wants to show the world that neurodiversity is a natural part of the societal landscape. By stepping out into the mainstream, the group aims to pave the way for acceptance and inclusion.
The Rundown of Our Chat
Here's what you'll learn in this interview with Stephen. The timestamps represent where in the video you can hear that particular discussion.
[00:46] Origin Story of Walking Discovery
[04:16] The Philosophy Behind the Group
[05:37] Choosing Locations for Activities
[07:58] The Importance of Neurodiversity Visibility
[09:11] Growth and Future Plans of Walking Discovery
[11:46] Advice for Starting Similar Groups
[14:32] Lightning Round, Including Stephen’s Shoutout
Want to Learn More about Stephen and Walking Discovery?
Here's the full video.
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Lisa: Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of DEIB Outdoors. I'm your host, Lisa Kalner Williams, and today we have a very special guest joining us, Stephen Offutt from Walking Discovery. Walking Discovery provides walking excursions and walking sessions, outdoor activities in the greater Baltimore area with neurodiversity in mind. Welcome to the podcast, Steven.
Stephen: Thanks so much for having me, Lisa.
Lisa: Yeah, it's a pleasure. I'm glad we're having this discussion today. I would love to know the origin story of Walking Discovery. When did it begin and what prompted you to begin this social group?
Stephen: Walking Discovery officially began in 2017. I had been working as a direct support person for children and young adults for several years prior to coming up with walking discovery. And I got affiliated with a group in Baltimore called Itinerants, Baltimore, which is an employment agency. My sister is also an occupational therapist. So I was, I was kind of all surrounded in this world.
My mother was also a special, special educator assistant. So I, from a, from a young age and just something I've always been interested in was helping people. I have ADHD myself and I had trouble in school and had trouble maintaining friend groups and getting outside. So this is kind of just like a passion project, a combination of all the things that I've grown up with and felt like I wanted to put forth with my time and energy and yeah, I started walking discovery as kind of a spinoff of the job I was doing.
I was working as a direct support person at itinerants going out to job sites with people exploring the city and then I kind of was doing something similar with young adults earlier in my career, and there was just one day where it was kind of like a light bulb moment where I was like, you know, I have all the skills and all the things I need to do to do this myself.
So I, I just like journaled one night and I was coming up with a cool idea that I thought would be interesting. And then. I started that I kind of just word of mouth, getting the word out there. I was involved with a lot of organizations and groups. So that kind of helped me build my, my resume, I guess.
And then all of a sudden it snowballed and we added more people and now it's running itself now. So yeah, it's a combination of all my favorite things basically. And me trying to help others.
Lisa: I love how all those things converge. So do you offer these walking sessions every week?
I was trying to get a sense from your Instagram account.
Stephen: Yeah, we do about five sessions per week. Right now we do Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and we just offer several hour sessions for people to meet up. And we always have different things and like ideas for each session.
So during the week we have, it ranges from going on hikes, To museum tours to meeting up for video games and board games over lunch. And then on the weekends, we tend to do more adventurous types of stuff like day trips out of the city, bigger hikes, amusement parks, stuff like that.
Lisa: I love the diversity of what, you know, because there sounds like there's something for everyone.
So someone can find if they just want to be with a board game. That's great. Yeah, they want to be outside. There's that option as well. How long were those weekend hikes? I'm super interested. Is there like an average of miles that you all go?
Stephen: , I tally up the hour. I tally up the miles every week.
So depending on how much we go, I always in our emails, I always do a fun fact of how many miles we walked and how, you know, we walked the distance of, you know, from one end of New York to the other end of New York or something like that. You know, some good statistics. I always go on Google and just find something weird.
But no, we don't really have a step goal in mind. What I think is really a good part about the group is that we're not really a fitness-centric group. Like we are an outdoor group. We do like to meet in public spaces, but we're not trying to push anybody to walk a certain amount of miles, or that's not really the goal.
The goal is that we're using walking as like the medium for us to get around and explore, you know, hence the name. So there's people we're only as fast as our slowest person in, you know, we, we. We also try to do our best to with our staffing to accommodate for those, you know, if people are walking slow, we have somebody who walks slow and if people are walking fast, we have somebody who can be up front with them.
So it's exercise is a consequence of what we do not the goal, not the main idea.
Lisa: That makes sense. Yeah. My very first interview here was with a group who used the same phrase that they're only as fast as their slowest walker as well. Yeah, there are so many benefits. I would just say there's mental fitness is a benefit of any of them.
The activities you have throughout the week, just because they're interacting with other people and having that social group that they might not have otherwise. But I, I totally hear what you're saying there. And thanks for making that distinction. So given that, you have such a wide variety of activities.
How do you choose where to go with your group members, whether it's indoor or outdoor? And what are the fact because some of them are might have special needs in addition to neurodivergent needs what are some of the factors that you ensure that these places are equipped for, there are diverse needs and for them to have the most fun as they can?
Stephen: Yeah, that's a good question. I think trial and error was really how. We got to know a lot of these places was like, we're, we're bold in our group. We don't tiptoe into things all the time. You know, I am kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of person.
If we go to a place and we encounter some trouble, we get through it together and I'll make a note maybe this wasn't the best place, but that's, that's part of our. We like to just go out and explore. So there's been places that definitely we found that accommodate great for us. And then, you know, I'll make a video about that.
I'll highlight that. That's what a part of what I've been trying to do through our social media is as, as of lately anyway, is to find cool events and then let people know this would be a good place. If you. If you encounter some of the same struggles that we do, this would be a safe bet for you to go.
And so, there's the obvious checkbox. There's the accessible bathroom. Is it a place where we feel comfortable where we're not going to be? Dismissed or judged for the way that we act. You know, that's another thing that I really try to, we try to push the limits.
We try to push the boundaries of what's socially acceptable. You know, we want to be organized and we want to have fun, but we also want to, we also want to go to the places that are the cool hip places that aren't just, you know, this is, this is a recreational center for this, for people with disabilities.
And this is where we're going. No, we want to go to the cool restaurants. We want to go to the cool places. We want to be seen by people because we want to show people that neurodiversity and disability and differences, they, we belong in these places. So yeah, I know I took the long way around that question, but we, we, we find the right places for us.
We also try to test the limits of where we should be, or where the community thinks that we should be.
Lisa: Yeah, it didn't take long at all because that was almost my exact next question. Why is it important for diverse folks to be seen in the outdoors? And you're like, because. They will, they're just like everybody else.
Stephen: I think that's exactly something that has come up as, as I've gone on with the group, I realized that that is part of why our group is the way we are is that, you know, we accommodate for neurodiversity and we accommodate for disability, but I wouldn't consider our group a disability group or a special needs group or a neurodiversity only group.
And I wanna show people, and I want our group members to show people that we are cool and, and you should be part of our group. That's the vibe I want to give off. I want to give off that we're fun and cool and that anybody would be lucky to be part of this group.
It's an opportunity to have fun. It's an opportunity to explore the city. And it's also an opportunity if you're outside of our bubble to learn something and to be a part of things and to make friends who are not neurotypical or the same as all of your other friends, you know, it's a, it's like a social platform.
And I think it's only going to get bigger. And, you know, it's small now, but I think for the people who enjoy it, it's It really, really hits all of the things that I mentioned. .
Lisa: Absolutely. In what ways has your group grown?
You mentioned it's small, but I'm guessing it has grown since its infancy. And what do you think accounts for that growth?
Stephen: Yeah, we started off pretty small and we're still relatively small. The thing that has changed, you know, we've gone from a couple handful of people, some people kind of like get their utility out of the group and then they're on to their own.
They might move away or they might have found their social group and kind of don't need that. you know, supported environment anymore, which is great. And I think through word of mouth, through social media, through people just being interested I've just tried to grow it very slowly and, and deliberately. There's a certain type of person that really gets a lot out of it.
And I think that those people somehow just find us, you know, like I've put out YouTube videos and people from New York City to Georgia and all these different places have reached out to me to want to be connected with their group. And so we also have an online platform that we use. So that's another way that we've grown.
And we use a, we have a Discord channel, which connects like neurodivergent adults to talk, share about our stories, struggles, what we're having for dinner that evening, just chatting and hanging out. In addition to that, we've added more days. So we used to just be on Sundays and then we added Saturdays and Sundays and now we have pretty much a session every day of the week almost or some we're doing something.
And so in the future, what I would like is to connect with other cities and things. So I want to work on Baltimore. I want to make sure that the Baltimore group is, you know, our home base and that everything is going great .
Something that I want to do in the future with the group is link up with different cities. So making the Baltimore City group Walking Discovery branch, I guess is really good is my top priority. And then kind of using that same model to go to other cities. Because I travel a lot.
I have clients that I see down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and I have friends. from different areas around the country. So looking at one of those areas, seeing what the needs are doing the same process that I did in Baltimore and then starting a small group. And then with ambitions to travel to those places, doing like overnight trips and extended vacations and things like that, that would be in the kind of longer-term goals.
But something I would really be excited by doing.
Lisa: That's neat. So along those lines, if someone say in Atlanta wanted to start this, do you have any advice for them as they venture forth?
Stephen: Yeah, I would say start very small and then work your way up. Aim for your next goal when it comes to social groups, because getting too big or going on can get things out of hand and and then and then you're unable to manage it.
And so you, you would rather it be slow and steady than it be trying to, you know, burn yourself out trying to make it big and bold and beautiful at the beginning, like social groups develop dynamically and you're not going to be able to force anybody to be friends with each other, you know?
So if you're trying to get a neurodivergent social group together, it's best to just go slow and steady, see who enjoys it, see who's sticking around because you'll find You'll find that it will grow much more. The bonds will be stronger and you'll have a stronger foundation to your group and then you can grow and things like that.
But still growing things shouldn't be the goal. It should be the product of a great, comforting fun group. I'd also just say, do your research, like, talk to people, go to organizations and talk to them and see what who's where and what's going on in the community.
Talk to people that work for organizations and just see what the needs are. And then the other thing would just be just try to stay organized and stay, stay repetitive with what you do, because especially for neurodivergent people. And I would include myself in that. The routine is so important to have the routine of looking forward to something and not letting people down because you can really throw somebody off if you're, you know, if you have ADHD or you're autistic, or you depend on a schedule, having somebody let you down multiple times in a row can just be the end of it right there, you know, so you have to stay consistent.
Which is why another reason why you should always grow yourself small. Just start with one person and then two people and three people and then you know how to manage it over time. So don't look at it with an end goal. Just look at it as a fun opportunity. And if you can handle all of it and just go for it.
Lisa: I love it. Super encouraging. And as a mom of uh, ADHD kid, I could say step by step is hard, but it's really important. Like, go small. Like, what is the next thing? And the very next thing instead of going because it can get overwhelming if you're just picking up the end game. So that's wonderful advice.
Well, I think it's time now for the lightning round. I wanted to find out, I'm actually going to split it in two, but what has been your favorite outdoor excursion of the year and what do you think your group members favorite excursion is? Maybe it's the same, maybe it's different.
Stephen: My favorite outdoor excursion, like strictly outdoor, would probably be Let me think. Lightning round, huh?
Lisa: Lightning round where you can take your time.
Stephen: I really like just exploring cities, like that's my thing. I like going to a new town and just seeing like, you know, walking down the street, seeing what outdoor. Parks they have in the area and just getting a feel for the local community.
So the most recent one we did was Frederick. We walked around the main strip. We saw a park and I went to some attractions there. So that's what I do for fun. Like that's what I would do on my own time. So. That is why it's my favorite.
Lisa: Oh, that's great. Well, if you're ever up in Boston, we have a lot of great green space and ...
Stephen: That's funny where my girlfriend and I are, are, we're just thinking of planning a trip to Boston.
So we'll have to hit me up. Yeah, we'll definitely will. That would be really cool.
Lisa: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. There's something to be said for all the outdoor things you can do in a city where people think they need to go far to experience the outdoors, but the outdoors is often right at your feet and the city.
Perfect and what about the folks in Walking Discovery? What do you think they've loved so far this year?
Stephen: We went to Six Flags, which was really fun. Six Flags was great. I thought it was, you know, as much as that is not really an outdoorsy excursion, we probably walked more in that session than we would have at an average session.
So we definitely got some exercise in there. But yeah, I think, I think the high-octane attractions are usually what people are most excited for. Like, We do our regular stuff like we'll do picnics and all that's fun and great. But what really gets people jazzed up is like, Oh, we're done. We're getting on the we're getting a motor coach and we're going on to do something outside of our town.
I think Six Flags was definitely our favorite, their favorite this year.
Lisa: I'm guessing a motor coach is a sign like, you're going to have fun when they that's that's super.
And then the last one is dealing with paying it forward. So this DEIB Outdoors is a passion project of mine where I'm shining a light on people who are bringing diversity and belonging to outdoors. So I was going to give you a chance to shine a light on someone who you think is doing great work in that area.
Stephen: Another organization who's doing great work in that area.
I'm thinking there's definitely a lot. There's I am not for lack of ideas. Okay. There's there is one that I want to shine a light on and they don't know that I know them and I've never met them before, but it's a really cool organization and you should check them out.
Because I follow them on Instagram and they, they're kind of like my inspiration, like something I want to do in the future. And they're called Trips Incorporated. I think they're based out of Seattle. And they are like a, they're like Walking Discovery, but everything I described that I want to do in the future.
Like going on airplanes and traveling to far off locations, like around the world, maybe going like hiking the Great Wall of China and things like that, but they're taking that to disabled populations to neurodivergent populations, and they're really doing like, their stuff looks so cool and so fun. And I would love to be a part of it.
So that's one organization that definitely has inspired me and I hope one day I will meet them and talk with them.
Lisa: Wow. That's great. I'm going to definitely look them up. I encourage everyone who's listening or watching to look for them as well. I'll add their info in the show notes.
Stephen: Trips Incorporated. Yeah. And there's plenty of other places nearby, like, in the local area that I could look up to, but that's the 1 that I've always I followed since even before I started doing this work.
Lisa: Wow. Okay, definitely going to start following them and see what they're up to. And because I want to give props to you as well, what is the best way. folks to go to, to reach out and learn more?
Stephen: Sure, I think my email address for, for people who are actually interested in being part of the group, my, or, or learning more, my email address would be the best way to get in touch with me directly.
If you want to know, like, oh, what kind of fun stuff that we got going on the email is where you would get the schedule and be able to sign up. But then on Instagram, you can see, like, what that looks like.
Lisa: Perfect. Okay. I'll make that distinction when I, when I write everything out.
Stephen, thank you so much for telling everyone how you got started and all the great things you do with Walking Discovery. It sounds amazing. I feel like I need to now look if there's anything similar happening in Boston. And if I find it, I will definitely let you know, because if you come up this way, it would be a great connection to make.
Oh yeah, great. It's amazing and I wish you nothing but luck and success at a slow pace. And thank you so much for joining this episode.
Stephen: Thank you so much, Lisa. I really enjoyed talking with you. And if I'm if we make our way up to Boston, I'll definitely be sure to reach out to you so we can talk further about this stuff.
Lisa: Perfect. Thank you so much.
