Melbourne & Olympic Parks hold John Cain Arena tour initiative to assess accessibility

Melbourne and Olympic Parks recently held, for the first time, an ‘all abilities tour’ at John Cain Arena for guests with accessibility requirements before a series of international basketball events.

The tour initiative, facilitated by disability inclusion consultancy Get Skilled Access, provided an opportunity for Melbourne & Olympic Parks (M&OP) to reinforce its commitment to ensuring the precinct is a place for everyone to enjoy by undergoing the rigorous assessment of accessibility ahead of the series of international basketball events at John Cain Arena.

Guests were invited to visit John Cain Arena ahead of the Harlem Globetrotters World Tour and Ford Ballin’ Series – featuring all Australian basketball teams before they departed for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics to familiarise themselves with the venue and its accessibility features.

Get Skilled Access conducted an audit of the event experience and provided recommendations for improvements. Several recommendations were immediately implemented, including the use of tensa barriers to ensure a standard aisle width that accommodates wheelchair users, and designated accessible entrances in addition to the accessible lanes at main gates.

A range of improvements were also made to the event day experience, with officers from the Inclusion Project on hand to assist guests who may have non-visible disabilities and require more understanding or assistance in the event environment.

As a partner of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, M&OP event staff were able to utilise the internationally recognised Sunflower inclusion tool to assist guests with non-visible disabilities, providing support, assistance and understanding to ensure everyone’s event experience was a memorable one. An occupational therapist was also present in the venue’s sensory room, providing further expertise and advanced support for guests using the space’s facilities.

Looking ahead, M&OP has committed to continuing to improve the experience for guests with accessibility requirements, including improved signage throughout the precinct and innovative solutions to improve accessibility of key event functions such as food, beverage, and merchandise outlets.

John Cain Arena Venue Manager, Kerry Gassner noted “our recent international basketball events, and particularly the matches with our Australian Wheelchair basketball teams, showcased the true essence of accessibility and were the prefect opportunity of us to evaluate where we’re at as a venue and consider opportunities for improvement.

“Incorporating the voices of people with disability was critical to our success, and it was exciting to see our team galvanise behind this work and partner with Get Skilled Access to ensure we were receiving industry-leading advice from people with lived experience.

“The ‘all abilities tour’ in particular was a fantastic new initiative and opportunity to welcome people who may not have visited the precinct before, helping to build confidence and familiarity to ensure a great event experience.

“With more than 3.5 million people visiting the precinct annually, it’s crucial that our facilities are accessible to everyone, and we look forward to considering more opportunities to run all abilities tours, and other initiatives for guests with accessibility requirements, in the future.”

Get Skilled Access Co-Chief Executive  Zack Alcott added "our access and inclusion audit was a thorough assessment conducted to identify opportunities for enhancing fan experience at Melbourne and Olympic Parks for people with disability and access needs. This audit was conducted for the first time during a busy event with guests inside the venue.

“Our report provides Melbourne and Olympic Parks with additional ways to build upon its impressive commitment to improving access and inclusion at its events.

“The importance of providing a dignified and inclusive experience cannot be overstated, as an increasing number of people with disability are attending events, often accompanied by friends, family members, or support workers."

Muscular Dystrophy Australia shared via social media “accessibility inclusions in public settings is an indicator of a fair and just civil society.

“Thank you to Olympic Park and Get Skilled Access for recently organising an accessibility tour of John Cain Arena and gaining input from people with lived experience.”

More information on Get Skilled Access 

Image. John Cain Arena Accessibility Tour 2024 Credit: Muscular Dystrophy Australia