At the top of the list is the Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park, located in Muskegon State Park. The luge track – one of only four in the United States – and all other features of the sports park are accessible to people with disabilities. It was the first accessible luge created in the nation.
“We developed an accessible, year-round luge experience. You actually can luge if you’re somebody with a disability,” said Cindy Burkhour, member of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Accessibility Advisory Council, in a DNR video about accessible outdoor recreation released in November 2020 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The council provides guidance to help the DNR develop, manage and plan opportunities for accessible outdoor recreation.
“Michigan is absolutely at the forefront of creative, inclusive, universal design projects in the out-of-doors. Very unique things,” Burkhour added.
Watch the video (1.5 hours) to learn more about the wide range of accessible outdoor recreation in Michigan.
“Our park has made a commitment to providing accessible year-round recreation for all. Our team remains committed to working on solutions to make all of our guests’ visits to our facility enjoyable and meaningful,” Jim Rudicil, executive director of the Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park, said. “This includes making sure we have adaptive equipment and solutions in place that can assist persons with disabilities in the winter sports of luge and ice skating.”
In addition to the luge track, the adventure park offers adaptive equipment for ice skating and a track chair, an off-road, electronic chair that can easily handle trails, snow, sand and up to 8 inches of water. With the track chair, available to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis, visitors can explore areas traditional wheelchairs might not be able to reach. |