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rope_burn
Feb 20, 2004, 5:04 PM
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I am looking into starting a climbing gym and the specs for the gym didn't meet certain standards, namely that it wasn't handicap accesable. I was wondering how many people have ever seen a handicap person climb because I thought it was kind of humerous that a climbing gym had to be handicap accesable.
I hope this post doesn't come off as if it were making fun at handicap people because it most certainly isn't. If I were to ever meet a disabled person who climbed, I would have the upmost respect and admiration toward him or her. God knows I couldn't do it.
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robja
Feb 20, 2004, 5:09 PM
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Seen a guy at the local gym down here climbing on one leg, cool guy, also plays disc golf!
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kimmyt
Feb 20, 2004, 5:10 PM
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There's an (I think) mentally handicapped guy who climbs at my gym.....
K.
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bigdave
Feb 20, 2004, 5:27 PM
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I have a blind girl that climbs at my gym..........do the walls have to be accessable or just exits, bathrooms, aisles, etc.?
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rope_burn
Feb 20, 2004, 5:32 PM
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Just the exits and bathrooms I think. I don't see how the wall could be handicap accesable. Actually come to think of it, I remember them saying there has to be a ramp to the top of the wall.
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jakedatc
Feb 20, 2004, 5:38 PM
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What if an old climber wants to come watch his grandson climb.. or see a comp.. or a member of the gym breaks their leg and needs crutches or a wheelchair to move around in for a few months.. etc etc not to mention the "if theres a will there's a way" attitude of alot of handicapped athletes.
Build it to cover the specs.. i'm assuming you'd need a ramp, at least one accecessible bathroom(M/W) and possibly wider doors then what is there. what else?
Also, the ramp and wider doors make EMT access easier and faster so it's beneficial in case of an accident also..
Jake
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misfit4lf
Feb 20, 2004, 5:51 PM
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At the NJRG they have a program which comes in that is run for handicaped children as a form of physical therapy. The kids in it love it and they have a dedicated crew that runs the program two nights a week.
Its a great thing to see.
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bandycoot
Feb 20, 2004, 6:18 PM
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In reply to: I thought it was kind of humerous that a climbing gym had to be handicap accesable.
I've seen numerous handicapped people climb. I've seen autistic children, blind adults, and I've helped organize a group of physically handicapped people climb. I'm not too up on my diseases, but there were some who had failing muscle control and others who were parapalegic. We set up chest harnesses to keep them safe, set up efficient jugging systems for parapalegic climbers, and every one had a blast. After teaching hundreds of people to tie the 8, the fastest one I've ever seen someone learn it was a girl in a wheel chair who was in that group. There's a great section of Masters of Stone V where a blind man, a parapalegic, and a man with no legs below the knees climb a 5.11 desert tower. There are plenty of instances of handicapped people climbing. You enjoy the challenge, so why wouldn't they?
What if someone's handicap friend wants to come watch? Use the bathroom? I just heard a depressing story about a man who couldn't get into bathroom facilities with a wheel chair and he peed himself because he couldn't do anything else.
In short, be cool and make the gym handicap accessible. Otherwise you'll get hit with a BS lawsuit later. It's cheaper to do it now than to rerenovate later.
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j.bl
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Feb 20, 2004, 6:26 PM
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In my gym there's a guy with one arm that climbs. He has a metal hook attached to his shoulder with a strap. He probably climbs up to 5.8/5.9. He told me he even leads outside. RESPECT! :twisted:
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moss1956
Feb 20, 2004, 7:06 PM
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I was in the climbing gym in the new library building at the University of Warsaw ( you know ... in Poland) and there was a woman there climbing who was completely blind. I was very impressed. I also heard about some amputees going up a mountain in Kenya.
My wife is in a wheelchair. The only time she can watch my son and I climb is when we climb in an accessible gym. I am glad they are made accessible.
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cliffhanger9
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Feb 20, 2004, 7:20 PM
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yea i theres a very respectable older man that goes to the gym and climbs prolly twice a week with only one leg...talk about upper body strength!!
he can campus like...whoa.
good lucky with your new gym and rock on!! :mrgreen:
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josephine
Feb 20, 2004, 7:52 PM
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josephine moved this thread from General to Indoor Gyms.
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wearyourtruth
Feb 20, 2004, 8:06 PM
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at our gym at Texas Tech we have to have a wheelchair ramp up onto the 6 inch foam floor padding for insurance reasons.
i told our manager donnie "if some dude in a wheel chair comes up here and is bad-a$$ enough to climb our wall, i don't think he'll need a ramp" :mrgreen:
much respect for anyone who has, never seen anyone though.
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andy_reagan
Feb 20, 2004, 11:24 PM
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I dont understand your logic here, no offense, but you sound a bit too dumb to start your own business. Just because you havn't ever seen a handicapped person climb at the gyms you've been to, means that you want to take away the possibility for a handicapped person to easily access your place of business? That's great. Tell me where the gym youre opening is, I'LL BE SURE TO VISIT.
Trust this helps :wink:
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climbsomething
Feb 20, 2004, 11:37 PM
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As has already been said several times, your business needs to be handicap-accessible, not necessarily for physically-disabled people to climb, but just to enter or watch. My gym has a handicap bathroom stall and, I think, handicap parking spaces. Spectators, birthday party guests, etc. need to be able to get into the building.
Really, if this wasn't forefront in your mind for designing a new facility (it should be common sense), then...
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mistymountainhop
Feb 20, 2004, 11:39 PM
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One of my old friends who had not had the use of his legs since birth flashed a 5.7 at a local gym, made me realize how much i take for granted.
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jenfu
Feb 21, 2004, 12:00 AM
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Mark Wellman...climbed many big walls including El Cap and Half Dome with his partner using adaptive climbing gear. Mr. Wellman is paraplegic. Check out http://www.nolimitstahoe.com/
He is also a skier, kayaker, paralympian. I would be sad to miss out on having Mr. Wellman be a patron of my gym because the doors to the bathroom won't accomodate the width of his wheelchair.
Mr. wellman is a fantastic example of someone who pushes the limits but people with disabilities in climbing gyms is not that rare. We have children 4 years old who depend on power wheelchairs but do great on the wall. Just some thoughts...
JenFu
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noa
Feb 23, 2004, 1:41 PM
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Thanks for the outstanding link with No Limits ! Waoooh !
As a veteran disabled in wheelchair myself (lost my two legs as a little girl 18 years ago) it gives a lot of inspiration.
I am new on the site and a very new climber even if totally hooked already. As Israeli, it is very new for us to see people with big disabilities climbing. We are the first here ! We are training on a foamed wall and improving like hell.
Do you know by chance about any other double amputee or paraplegic climbers, because we need to adjust our technic and even more urgently, our outfit to have better grip and protect our limbs ?
Thanks in advance, Noa. :D
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