Approximately 612,000 adults in Utah today experience a disability, a statistic that is roughly 27%, or one in four adults in the state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 36 years ago on July 26, 1990, Park Cit y has made several contributions over the years in making accessibility and inclusion part of everyday life. “In its purest form, accessibility is a system in place that provides an equitable experience for all users,” notes a piece from the University of Utah’s Housing and Residential Education program. From residents to tourists alike, accessibility creates equal opportunities and experiences, ranging from recreational experiences to housing.  In Park City, Park West led efforts to get people with physical disabilities on skis, with a clinic led by Hal O’Leary in 1981. Beverly Carhart noted that the only barrier for people to join would be a lack of opportunity, telling The Park Record in 1982, “anyone can ski if they can roll into my office, we can teach them to ski.” The program gave participants confidence in addition to a fun new activity. Said one new skier: “If I can do this, I can do anything.” That same year, Developmental Disabilities, Inc. came to Park City and was running its special education and care program from the Marsac School basement, with goals to grow into its own space and serve all of Summit County. It was the first time the Parkites and their county neighbors had easy and direct access to specialized education and care for their children with disabilities. The National Ability Center (originally the Park City Handicapped Sports Association, or PCHSA) started in the home of Meeche White and Pete Badewitz. Learn more about their growth to become the National Ability Center by visiting parkcityhistory.org/making-a-difference. By 1988, PCHSA hosted its first “Learn to Ski” event with instructor training, followed by “hands-on instruction” for disabled individuals, which drew over 300 people. From there, the summer cycling program began and the first outdoor camping trip was planned. Then in 1989, they hosted the first Huntsman Cup Alpine Ski Race, and the Equestrian program officially began. Park City’s Special Olympic and Paralympic journey started in 1974, when it hosted the State Directors of the Special Olympics conference, where Eunice Kennedy Shriver complimented the state in adding winter sports to its program for its athletes. There, a seed was planted, and it grew into hosting the 1984 Utah Winter Special Olympics. We hosted again in 1985 just prior to the International Special Olympics Winter Games coming to town — as we covered in a previous article — for the third-ever rendition of the international Games.  A few years later in 1992, Meeche White took a team of six Special Olympians to Schladming, Austria, to participate in the International Special Olympics Winter Games, the first time in the history of the Special Olympics that American athletes traveled outside the country to compete. The NAC has continued to develop and support athletes training for summer and winter Special Olympics and Paralympic Games. Housing and access to public spaces are often a major hurdle for people with disabilities. Park City is home to hundreds of historical buildings, and so a careful balance of accessibility needs and maintaining the integrity of a historic structure is required. Park City’s Design Guidelines for Historic Districts and Historic Sites point out that “the goal is to achieve the highest level of accessibility with the lowest impact on the historic structure.” They go on to explain that barrier-free access should be provided in a way that promotes independence “to the highest degree practicable,” while also preserving character-defining features of historic buildings. Any new construction of public buildings and businesses is required to meet full ADA standards, and Park City has also seen the development of housing specifically for people with disabilities. The Bridge 21 housing development was completed in 2024 to provide a tailored space for neurodiverse adults looking to live on their own. In tourism and business, Park City has grown to provide accessibility in leisure and in the job market. Recently, Wheel the World — a company known as a trusted standard for verified accessibility in travel — verified 30 Park City spaces as accessible to those with different abilities. Park City is also a city that provides significant employment for people with physical, mental, and psychiatric disabilities, from the ski resorts to Lucky Ones Coffee and beyond. While the introduction of the ADA in 1990 changed a variety of everyday aspects, like wider doorways and automatic door openers, Park City has shown that additional deeper, positive changes are always possible. This article was made possible by preliminary research by Jackie Edwards. The Park City Museum has tours and lectures all summer long. Keep apprised at parkcityhistory.org/events. The post Way We Were: Accessibility has long been important to Park City appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less