To the editor:
My family has been a season ticket holder since I was 16 years old (now 28), I have considered it my home away from home since the North Bay Battalion's very first home opener.
As a family I have sat at the glass with my grandfather and father cheering on our team, missing just a handful of games within the franchises 11 years. Over the years things have changed, such as my father’s physical abilities.
My dad now requires an accessible handicap seat.
In the arena with a maximum capacity of 4,000 people, only 17 seats are accessible, 4 of which are in the bar. Frankly, if you aren’t in the bar for the alcohol, it feels like you aren’t even in the arena. So that brings accessible seats around the rink and not in a separate room to a grand total of 15.
I think it's safe to say that there are more than 15 disabled people in North Bay who would like to watch our OHL team.
With there being only 15 accessible seats…. where does that leave our disabled community members families and friends?
The regulations in the arena state that a person who requires accessible seating can have one “companion” who must sit BEHIND their disabled family member. Those who are disabled do not get the equality of having a family sit down at the Gardens like able-bodied members of our community.
For example, my six-year-old niece occasionally enjoys coming to the game with her auntie and papa. With the regulations Memorial Gardens has for their disabled fans, if she attends a game she must sit BEHIND her grandfather, and I would have to sit by myself.
Do you think an able-bodied person would let their six-year-old sit BEHIND them? Because I wouldn’t.
To add to this when trying to buy tickets online you can't leave a single seat empty, it will not let you buy those tickets. I assume this is done to promote families being able to sit together, why is this sitting by yourself only a concern for able-bodied people?
On top of the seating issue Memorial Gardens has several entrances, only one is accessible with buttons for doors to open automatically………fun fact…. none of them work. What kind of message does this send to those who are disabled and their families? Because the message I get is, that we are not as important as able-bodied fans.
The irony is that we are called The North Bay Battalion, and we chant “Go Troops Go” in a military city…..how many disabled veterans, real-life troops do you think are out there that would love to go to a game with their family but aren’t given the options?
Now here is my solution; Section 10R-G which is located right behind the opposing goalie's net could be made into accessible seating. The bolted-down, connected seats could be removed and replaced with regular old chairs. This would allow the chairs to be moved for wheelchair access, and allow able-body people to sit there as well. Doing this would actually allow for them to have more seats due to the fact you wouldn’t need a large opening for people to get to their seats in between the accessible seating and the bolted-down chairs.
Karly Shoults
Nipissing Twp
