Published in RINewsToday on September 29, 2025

As part of AARP Rhode Island’s ongoing Livable Communities initiatives, the state’s largest aging organization will launch a series of “Walktober” events next month in collaboration with America Walks, local elected officials, municipal departments, planners, outreach specialists, volunteers, and community groups. The effort will feature neighborhood walks and walk audits across Providence. Accessibility is a priority, ensuring that people using mobility aids are included.

According to AARP Rhode Island, walking through neighborhoods allows volunteers to document and report infrastructure issues such as missing or uneven sidewalks, unsafe crosswalks, inadequate lighting, and the lack of benches, shade, and green space. These findings will help shape proposals for community improvements. The goal is to raise public awareness and highlight the importance of well-designed, well-maintained, and inclusive sidewalks, curb cuts, bump outs, and pedestrian-friendly spaces that contribute to a thriving community.

AARP Rhode Island notes that Walktober is a collaboration between the nonprofit and America Walks has organized nearly a dozen free, engaging community events aimed at helping residents appreciate walking as an enjoyable and healthy alternative to other means of getting around.

They Walk Their Talk

Taking part in Walktober is internationally known “multidisciplinary walking artist” and mobility justice activist Jonathon Stalls, who founded Walk2Connect (now Walk America) in 2012 after completing a 3,030-mile walk across the nation in 2010. Stalls will join America Walks board member Garrett Brumfield, a disability rights advocate and popular “sit-down” comedian, at the kickoff event scheduled for Wednesday, October 8. The event begins with a free “connection walk” at 5:00 p.m., followed by a free public walk, talk, book signing, and reception at the Providence Public Library.

Stalls, a respected author, wrote WALK: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1–3 Miles Per Hour. The 240-page book, published by North Atlantic Books, is a collection of essays exploring the benefits of walking—for both individuals and communities—and how walking can be transformational. Attendees will receive a free copy.

Over the years, Stalls has documented his long walks, including a 200-mile trek from Providence to New York to explore how built environments affect communities, especially marginalized residents who cannot or do not drive. Walking, he argues, reveals how public spaces can become safer and more inclusive for all. At national and international conferences, Stalls advocates for transportation systems that prioritize pedestrians and calls for incorporating mobility justice into urban planning.

Joining him is Garrett Brumfield, a Roanoke, Virginia resident and disability rights advocate living with cerebral palsy. He calls for improved public transportation, mobility infrastructure, and community planning that make cities accessible to all—older adults, wheelchair users, and families with strollers alike.

On LinkedIn, Brumfield explains:“It is my mission to use my story and my experiences of living with Cerebral Palsy to help others overcome whatever obstacles stand in their way. Whether your obstacle is big or small, permanent or temporary, I believe you have the power to overcome it. The steps may be small, and the journey may be long, but I guarantee it’ll be worth it. I’m overcoming mine—how will you overcome yours?”

Also known as a sit-down comedian, Brumfield uses humor to break down barriers and promote empathy and awareness around disability issues. His performances challenge stereotypes and encourage new perspectives about what people with disabilities can do.

Brumfield serves on the board of Walk America, based in Seattle, Washington, which advocates for walkability, accessibility, and disability rights nationwide. He completed his Walking College Fellowship through America Walks in 2017 and has since become a mentor in the program, while collaborating on initiatives to improve walkability and “rollability” across the country.

Walking Audits in Providence Neighborhoods

As part of Walktober, AARP Rhode Island has scheduled additional walks and audits throughout October. On October 9, a Broadway Walk/Roll Audit will take place, along with other events including a Comedy Walk & Roll with Brumfield and a Glow Stick Walk/Roll Dance Party.

Other Walktober walks are being hosted by Village Common Walking Group, Providence Preservation Society and Ocean State Center for Independent Living.

Through AARP’s 2025 Community Challenge grants, Providence’s Age-Friendly PVD initiative is funding four walk audits in neighborhoods with high concentrations of older adults to identify pedestrian safety challenges.

“AARP Rhode Island is pleased to work with so many community partners and with America Walks to promote access and safety for walkers and rollers of all ages and abilities,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor. “Walktober is truly a celebration, and we hope, at times, an inspiration as well as a wake-up call, as walk audits throughout the city reveal barriers and unsafe conditions that need to be addressed.

Added Taylor, “Walking is great exercise, and as walking groups become more and more popular, they serve as an opportunity for socialization that is very important to many people as they age.”

Here is How It Works…

According to AARP Rhode Island, walk audits involve participants walking through neighborhoods and noting infrastructure issues: missing or uneven sidewalks, unsafe crosswalks, poor lighting, or lack of benches and shade. Participants then document and report their findings so changes can be proposed and considered.

The events are meant to be inclusive, with accessibility a top priority. Walk audits not only identify safety concerns but also raise public awareness and encourage cities to take action.

Get Involved

·         For kickoff event and registration details and locations of walk audits visit register: www.aarp.org/RIWalktober, where you also will find an interactive Walktober Map.

·         To learn how to assess and report on the safety and walkability of a street, intersection, or neighborhood, visit the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit at https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/aarp-walk-audit-tool-kit.html