A Local Wheelchair Sports Team Wins a Policy Change on the Court Thanks to the ADA

A Local Wheelchair Sports Team Wins a Policy Change on the Court Thanks to the ADA

A Local Wheelchair Sports Team Wins a Policy Change on the Court Thanks to the ADA

American football players in wheelchairs on an indoor court

A local wheelchair sports team had been using a nearby college’s basketball court for their wheelchair rugby and wheelchair lacrosse activities. After installing a new floor, the college told the group that they could no longer use the gym because it had established a “no wheels on the floor policy,” explaining that the wheelchairs would damage the new floor. The wheelchair sports team contacted their regional ADA center to get help navigating this situation. The ADA center consulted with the Department of Justice (DOJ) who agreed that the policy was problematic under the ADA because it appeared to prohibit anyone with wheels, prosthetic blades, walkers, or strollers from even using the gym for the non-athletic activities often held there. The wheelchair sports team went back to the college with this information to have a conversation.  The college agreed to withdraw the policy, allowing the wheelchair sports team to resume their rugby and lacrosse games while at the college!