Association for Challenge Course Technology

It has taken four years and a number of trips back and forth between the Board and our committee, but the ACCT Position Statement on Accessible and Inclusive Challenge Courses is finally in place. This is an historic event for ACCT and the challenge course industry as a whole. On November 8, 2002, at the ACCT Board meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota, the following position statement was unanimously approved.

The Association for Challenge Course Technology supports and promotes independence, inclusion, and the meaningful participation of people with disabilities in the challenge course experience.

ACCT Position Statement Guiding Principles:

Individuals with disabilities should have access to challenge courses.
Access to challenge courses for individuals with disabilities is an important component in the development of an inclusive, diverse community.
Access to challenge courses for individuals with disabilities should be provided in such a way as to present options for meaningful challenges consistent with the intent of the program.
The pursuit of excellence in this organization and in the challenge course industry as a whole must include the utilization of current best practices in the areas of inclusive challenge course design, vendor and consumer education, support services, policy making, personnel training, and advocacy as these relate to meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities and compliance with applicable laws.

This statement is a cornerstone of the foundation being laid by the Universal and Accessible Design Committee. It was discussed that this document will be published in the next edition of the Standards. Our next project is to send a survey to members identified as having programs that serve participants with disabilities. The results of that survey, combined with existing information, will provide the basis for standards addressing challenge course accessibility.

I would like to thank the Board and members of the UAD committee for the hard work they have done to pass this statement and for their support as we continue to tackle the many complicated accessibility issues.