Calgary park transformed into inclusive area for blind and visually impaired skateboarders
The skatepark at southwest Calgary's Shaw Millennium Park is looking a bit different on Saturday, but it's all to offer a unique opportunity for disabled residents.
Through the work of Alt Route Projects, a group of blind and visually impaired skateboarders, the area has been modified with neon-coloured tape, tactile pathways and audio beacons.
All of the equipment was installed to make the area more inclusive for riders who like to enjoy a "sesh" of shredding and grinding but couldn't on a normal course because of their disabilities.
"Skateboarding is such a fun way of getting outside and making friends," said Curtis Ruttle, the founder of Alt Route and a Grade 11 student at Bishop Carroll High School.
"Blind and visually impaired people can get in on the fun, but they need some changes in skatepark design to make skateboarding safer and more enjoyable."
Over the past two years, Ruttle has been working with Matt Janz, the founder of another group for visually impaired skateboarders called Skate Bats.
The pair hopes that with skateboarding added to the Olympics, the event will soon become available to Paralympians as well.
"We are hoping to lay down the base work for an adaptive skateboard team here in Canada," Janz said in a statement. "We're hoping to empower any blind or low-vision kids in Calgary to seek an exciting and inspiring career on a skateboard at the Paralympic level."
The additions to the skatepark were fully funded by the Calgary Parking Authority's sponsorship program.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.