USA CURLING GRASSROOTS ACESSIBILITY SURVEY
Curling is a lifetime sport that offers accessibility and playing opportunities to people of all ages and abilities.
As such, many people with differing abilities are drawn to curling. Whether it be looking for a new activity later in life or finding a sport that that offers inclusivity and pathways to competitive success for every participant, curling has a lot to offer everyone.
The long-standing history of curling is special and the sportsmanship that spans centuries is enticing, but due to the historic nature of the sport, many facilities were formed before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was signed into law.
The Act, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in the workplace, public entities, public transportation, and more, also prompted guidelines for accessibility.
ADA Standards for Accessible Design are regulations in place to enforce accessibility standards across different types of facilities.
For curlers, the removal of architectural barriers in existing facilities can not only allow for more people to enjoy the environment of a curling club, but also enable them to partake in the sport for as long as they desire.
In an effort to continue to grow the game and foster an inclusive community by identifying all USA Curling member clubs across the country that offer accessibility features, USA Curling has assembled and distributed the “USA Curling Grassroots Accessibility Survey” to every member club president in the country.
In this survey, USA Curling seeks to identify which areas of each club (including warm room, ice surface, and additional access such as lavatories, changing rooms, and parking) have accessibility features.
This survey aims to provide insight into accessibility considerations and accommodations, as well as demonstrate that in some cases, improving a facility from inaccessible to accessible is easier than maybe initially thought – especially when considering all the positive benefits accessibility has to offer. Additionally, the survey will allow USA Curling to gather best practices or answer any inquiries regarding accessible accommodations.
The survey responses will identify clubs with accessibility features through the newly added search functions on the “Find a Club” map, enhancing inclusivity from the moment an end user searches for the club nearest them.
The map, which can be found on the homepage of USA Curling’s website, is how clubs were searched for over 100,000 times during the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Adding the “Accessibility Features” classifications to the USA Curling club locator map will not only allow end users to search for facilities with accessibility features (as defined by the USA Curling Grassroots Accessibility Survey), but also serve as a tool that helps make the sport of curling more accessible at the grassroots level.
The survey linked above is not the online survey. The online USA Curling Grassroots Accessibility Survey was distributed to every USA Curling member club president for completion. The club locator map will be updated upon the completion of the survey.
Please note, the questions asked in the survey do not supersede ADA Standards for Accessible Design, nor will completing the survey qualify a facility as ADA compliant.
USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Toyota, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Sitrin, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, and United Airlines.
