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15 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T V O L . 2 "W hat do you miss doing from the time before COVID?" This is a question that sparked a fire in Curtis Ruttle as he reflected on all of the sports and activities he once was a part of pre- pandemic. It's also the question that led to his creation of Alt Route, a collective of visually impaired skaters in Calgary dedicated to creating a more accessible, inclusive, and safe skatepark environment for all visually impaired youth. As a legally blind skateboarder who began skateboarding in the spring of 2019 with Skate Bats, another local group advocating for wider accessibility, Curtis wanted to continue to push the boundaries of what is currently available for skateboarders. With the support of the #RisingYouth grant, Curtis embarked on a project to study the needs of blind, visually impaired, and low vision youth to create better skateparks for all. Curtis initially worked with a small group of individuals and asked them to skate and walk the park as it was. He then asked them for feedback on what was difficult, what was accessible, and what else might elevate their skateboarding experience. Using this critical feedback, Curtis and Alt Route created a fully accessible skatepark integrating new adaptations that were specific to the needs of visually impaired skateboarders, but that were also ultimately helpful for everyone. Some of these adaptations included high visibility and contrast guidelines, transition markers, LED lighting for a runway, tactile strips, and even audio beacons. Alt Route has been so successful that they've since hosted another showcase of another skatepark in partnership with City of Calgary — Parks and Recreation, as well as an indoor skatepark called The Compound. "This project has more or less changed my life from what it previously was. It has made me more busy and opened up many more doors," laughed Curtis. "I have taken more of a leadership role… This all even led to a partner nominating me for a City of Calgary Award in the youth category — which I won, because of this project!" Alt Route is A Driving Force for Accessible Skateboarding Curtis Ruttle I have taken more of a leadership role... This all even led to a partner nominating me for a City of Calgary Award in the youth category — which I won, because of this project! A special thank you to CNIB Foundation New Brunswick for sharing the #RisingYouth grant opportunity with Curtis to make this project possible. A blog post written by Curtis and a documentary diving into his project.

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