ESPN canvassed 136 teams in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL about whether they offer accommodations that fans with invisible disabilities say would make their game-day experience better.
Hajducky is an associate editor for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men's soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.
"People think, 'Hey, let's just do the minimum, we have X number of wheelchair seats, that's good enough,'" said Sherri Privitera, senior principal and senior architect at Populous, which designs sports venues. Dedmon, the fan who has been prevented from using elevators, said she would like to be able to register for games online and be given a badge to wear so she doesn't have to explain herself to staff. Of the 115 teams that responded to a question of whether they offer such badges, 42% said they do. Among the leagues: 56% of NFL teams said they do, along with 46% in MLB, 46% in the NHL, 28% in the NBA and 27% in the WNBA.
One area where teams have made significant progress is giving neurodivergent fans a quiet place. In 2017, Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena became the first sensory-inclusive arena in the U.S. Now, all 29 NBA teams that responded to ESPN said they have or are building sensory areas/rooms, along with 85% of NHL teams, 81% of NFL teams, 72% of MLB teams and 64% of WNBA teams.
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