Disabled people can feel shut out from the sport. We aim to make it accessible to all

Going into a gym for the first time can be nerve racking for anyone, but when you are disabled, those anxieties are amplified. Will the gym be accessible? Where will I park? How will people treat me? Will there be an accessible toilet? Is there a lift? These are the questions that fly around my head every time I want to try out a new gym.  

I have been climbing for more than six years, and as a wheelchair user that often surprises people. They look from my chair to my feeding tube and my creaky body, and they assume climbing is something that won’t be possible for me. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  

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Climbing is a fantastically inclusive sport, with countless ways it can be adapted to suit many different disabilities. Over the years I have met many disabled climbers, from people just starting out to paraclimbers who represent their country on the international stage. The UK paraclimbing community is thriving. 

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Because the biggest barrier many disabled climbers are facing isn’t climbing the walls, it’s getting through the front door.  

Inaccessibility is a common issue in climbing gyms across the UK. The culmination of inaccessible buildings, poor planning and design, lack of funding and not enough awareness means that many disabled climbers are not able to engage in the sport like their non-disabled counterparts. And we think it’s about time that changed. 

Read more:

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In 2022, I reached out to a friend after being turned away from yet another climbing gym due to inaccessibility. I said, “I hate turning up to a new gym only to find it’s not accessible. There’s been too many occasions when I’ve arrived, excited to climb, only to be turned away because I can’t even get through the front door. It’s degrading and it’s embarrassing. It makes me feel like I don’t belong here. Maybe people like me aren’t meant to climb.” 

I wanted to throw the towel in, to become bitter and frustrated with the world around me. But my friend encouraged me to keep going and most importantly, to do something about it.  

And that’s how Access to Climb was born.  

Access to Climb is a community website which shares accessibility information about UK climbing walls. Our mission is to eliminate information barriers to climbing and make the sport accessible to all.  

We don’t have a magic wand to wave to make every climbing wall accessible. But what we can do is equip disabled people with the information they need to visit a climbing wall with confidence. We share accessibility information for over 75 climbing walls and this number is growing.  

As well as being a community resource, Access to Climb is about changing attitudes. We want accessibility to be at the heart of every climbing centre. By highlighting the importance and demand for accessible spaces, we hope to encourage more climbing centres to take proactive steps to becoming an inclusive space. We also want to encourage more disabled people to give climbing a try. To create a community where every climber has a place where they belong.  

So, if you’re feeling frustrated by a lack of accessibility, or feel nervous to try out a new sport, then remember you’re not alone. These barriers are difficult, but we are determined that we won’t let them stop us. Let’s champion inclusion even when it feels hard, because sport belongs to us all.  

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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