According to Carleton University’s website, the school is committed to having “barrier free accessibility for persons with disabilities who are studying, visiting and working at Carleton.”
But accessibility is more than just having an accessible building and the ability to access services on campus. It also includes creating accessible opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in all aspects of student life, including fitness and sport.
Though the campus gym offers some accessible fitness equipment, these are not enough to give all students equal fitness training opportunities. More accessible gym equipment in the fitness centre could make Carleton a training hub for para-athletes in the Ottawa region.
Perhaps Carleton does not have enough para-student-athletes currently to create competitive para-sport teams, but this doesn’t mean they can’t develop programs that will make this possible in the future. Offering intramural options and more gym equipment would attract these athletes to Carleton’s campus and eventually develop the programs, interest, and funding required for a competitive sports team.
There have been a few steps in the right direction. The Research, Education, Accessibility, and Design Initiative (READ) partnered with Triathlon Canada to create a paratriathlon academy at Carleton. Only with initiatives like these can Carleton truly become the accessible university it aims for.
