cover of the Sept/Oct. 2025 issue of The Sugarloaf Sun newsletter
Everyone should be welcome in the running community. Everyone. Even non-runners, and those who aren’t able to run. Why? Because they matter, just as much as the fastest sprinter there is. To paraphrase a book title from an adjacent sport: it’s not about the Nikes. It’s about fitness, health, fun, good company, and the spirit of the sport.
About ten years ago, while working as an editor for a publisher of educational materials, I was introduced to something relatively new to me called accessibility. My assigned task for a project was to ensure that writers provided “Alt Text” for any photos and graphics that accompanied text on websites or in documents. Alt Text is part of the metadata of the images, hidden in the code but spoken out loud by screen reading software for blind and/or visually impaired readers. Alt Text makes the website or document accessible to people who would otherwise be unable to experience it as fully as a sighted person can. It is a useful tool for achieving greater parity and access.
Accessibility isn’t a given, and it does not come without a cost. But it’s worth it. It’s the right thing to do. Among other things, accessibility is about ensuring equality, fairness, equity, inclusion, and justice for all. Of course those words sound familiar, because collectively they’re a basic tenet of democratic society. All of us deserve the same rights, access, and freedoms. We are better when we’re together. Everyone belongs. It's important that we (me and my fellow runners/hikers/cyclists, etc.) continue to strive to foster a welcoming and supportive atmosphere of encouragement and inclusion for anyone who wants to participate in this lifestyle of bettering ourselves through physical fitness, activity, and sport, striving to be as good, strong, and healthy as we can be.
Recently my local running club--the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club--published a newsletter issue devoted to the theme of accessibility and adaptive athletics. As editor, it was a great honor to get to talk about this topic. I enjoyed and learned a lot from people who are living it (vision impairment, hearing loss, paralysis, physical or cognitive disabilities, etc.) on a daily basis. Sharing their stories feels like a lean in a positive direction, particularly meaningful in a time of significant social pressure the other way. I'm proud to be associated with it, and excited that efforts are being made to allow everyone to live life to the fullest.
Link to the accessibility issue:
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