Disc golf courses across B.C. will be hosting events on May 26 simultaneously to mark Accessibility Week May 26 to June 1.
The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including one in Williams Lake, and are aimed at establishing B.C. as the disc golf accessibility capital of the world thanks to the vision of Dion Eden.
This is the second annual event in B.C. open for all abilities and income levels, with free discs available for those playing for the first time thanks to MVP Disc Sports..
Eden has a passion for disc golf after being introduced to the game back in the 1997 by his friend Mark Preston.
While Preston died in 2004, the legacy he left lives on in the passion Eden has for the sport.
After having his unforgettable first experience playing on a private course in the Highlands of Victoria, Eden began to design courses for the sport in 2003, so he could continue to play, as there were few courses in the Interior in the early days.
Eden began putting in primitive courses in Penticton after moving back to B.C., with just sticks as markers so they didn’t impact the surrounding environment. He has since designed more than 70 courses, with four being permanently installed in B.C., including the fully wheelchair accessible Pine Park Disc Golf course in Keremeos.
The shift in focus for Eden came after a 2009 car crash left him with permanent spinal cord damage. Eden said he could no longer access courses the way he used to. He experiences pain and a lack of endurance if he has to hike too much or overdoes it, which he then began to factor into his designs so he could continue to enjoy the sport he loves.
He then found those designs could help others engage with the sport or continue to participate. He also came up with an accessibility rating system so people can know what each course offers in terms of access.
“I found I could not only help myself but I could help other people,” he said. Eden also recently completed the Rick Hansen Foundation accessibility training certificate in order to even better understand barriers for those with disabilities.
Eden’s accessibility rating system has three levels from wheelchair, limited mobility/cane, to not easily accessible. The system allows players to see what courses fit their ability levels so they can travel to that course knowing they can play there. The system has rated over 500 limited mobility/cane and wheelchair accessible courses worldwide since its launch March 23.
Eden said he is on a low fixed-income due to his injury, but was able to develop and create this event through support through other organizations.
He toured the province to visit all 30 of the participating courses, helping deliver equipment for the event and designing modified course options for those with limited mobility. In Williams Lake, he designed a plan for nine holes at the Boitanio Park Disc Golf course on the lower part of the course. The modified course will be available from event hosts on May 26 and Eden said will hopefully be able to be viewed on Udisc eventually for the Williams Lake course and other modified options he designed.
The Playing in My Shoes clinics on May 26 will help people recognize different perspectives, with the goal of teaching empathy.
Participants will have the chance to try four different throws to help understand another person’s level of abilities.
One throw is from a wheelchair or chair, one is with earplugs in, one with the wrong arm and one with a blindfold.
The clinic is designed to help people understand what it can mean to play “in someone else’s shoes” with the goal of promoting more inclusion and accessibility to disc golf and all sports.
Along with Williams Lake, events will take place at the same time in Keremeos, Princeton, Cawston, Oliver, Vancouver, Lumby, Chilliwack, Smithers, Kelowna, Delta, Quesnel, Dawson Creek, Vanderhoof, Vernon, Comox, Burnaby, Langley, Nanaimo, Mission, Kamloops, Merritt, Trail, Summerland, Penticton, Campbell River, Coquitlam, and Richmond. Eden has invited many other sports organizations to participate including Vancouver Canucks Autism Network, Inclusion BC, Invictus Games, and others.
The app for disc golfers, Udisc Event includes information on the events across the province, with Keremeos Pine Park, designed by Eden, as event central because the course is fully wheelchair accessible.
READ MORE: Williams Lake Accessibility Advisory Committee updates council
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