Kevin Goheen demonstrates the problem step that prevents wheelchair users from entering the ice.
The Rideau Curling Club has applied for several grants in a bid to make the facility more accessible for people in wheelchairs. The club, located on Cooper Street, wants people with mobility issues to be able to not only watch a curling game, but also to play wheelchair curling at the location.
This spring, the club received a $56,000-grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. It was used to make the building’s main bathroom accessible. And that’s just the beginning, say club officials; they are now talking to the Capital Wheelchair Curling Club and others about how to improve the facility further, so that – eventually – disabled people will be able to gain access to the ice as well.
A few years ago, the club built a ramp to enter the building. “People can now easily access the building, but we still have to install the mechanisms where you push the button to open the door,” says Kevin Goheen, the club’s executive director.
Although the building has an accessible entrance and a large bathroom with a door that opens automatically, there are still things that need to be done to eventually hold wheelchair curling events. Right now, it’s impossible for disabled people to reach ice level and there is a small stairway that still makes it hard to enter the main floor without the use of a makeshift ramp.
The club doesn’t have money right now, but officials hope to tap other grants or funding to continue accessibility improvements.