The Fort Wayne Curling Club runs what may be the largest curling program in the United States for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities.
The Fort Wayne Curling Club was actually founded because two of its founders have a special needs child and they found that not only could their son play the game and enjoy it, they each could enjoy the game to its fullest while playing with their child. This is because Curling is one of the rare sports where individuals take turns, play as a team, and nobody is actively working against you while it is your turn.
Funded through generous grants from the AWS Foundation and Torres Behavioral Health, the program covers 100% of curling membership/league fees for individuals with disabilities regardless of whether they participate in the special needs program or regular leagues.
The Special Needs Program runs most Sunday afternoons from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm. No experience or equipment is needed. We ask that participant wear clean sneakers and dress in layers. Our ice room is 40 degrees but you will warm up as you play.
Our program is structured to provide a gentle introduction to the sport and allows partipants to join a game with just 10 minutes or less of training. We do this by starting all participants with a delivery stick that just requires participants to walk a few steps and push. Participants may then "graduate" to the traditional curling slide if they desire but most do not. 80% of our participants choose to stay with the delivery stick long-term.
We highly encourage parents, siblings and peers to play alongside their loved one with disabilities and the cost is minimal ($10 for 4 weeks).
3 members of our Special Needs Curling Program have successfully made the transition to regular leagues and the cost for these league fees is also covered by the grant, meaning regular leagues are free to individuals with disabilities.
