2024 Accessibility and Inclusion Champions of Northeast Indiana
It is only through collaboration and community that we can move forward in making our world more accessible and inclusive. Through Turnstone’s eight-decade legacy, we’ve seen the Northeast Indiana community remain committed to bettering the world through many collaborative efforts.
We want to take the time and acknowledge a few community assets from around the region who are continuously working towards making Northeast Indiana a more inclusive and accessible place for all.
Amp Lab at Electric Works
Fort Wayne Community School's Amp Lab students chose Turnstone as a semester-long "challenge project" partner. This provided students the opportunity to learn new design skills while simultaneously supporting our community's efforts to bring more adaptive sports to the northeast Indiana region. AMP Lab students came to Turnstone's campus, where they participated in an adaptive sports experience and received disability awareness training from Turnstone's Director of Outreach, Tina Acosta.
Throughout the semester, students developed promotional materials using their newfound knowledge of strategic marketing and inclusion practices. These materials were designed for the 2024 Women's & Military Division Wheelchair Basketball, which will be hosted at Turnstone from April 26th—28th, 2024.
Citylink
Citilink supports and recognizes the need for accessible transportation opportunities. Their continued collaboration with Turnstone demonstrates their commitment to creating transportation access that benefits residents and visitors, including those with disabilities. The installation of a new accessible bus stop located outside Turnstone will ensure consistent and safe access to the events that happen in and around the Turnstone campus. Citilink's pledge to provide on-site training and information sessions regarding bus system navigation will enable broader access to transportation and extend Turnstone's reach in our community.
The Citilink team hosted their 2024 Leadership Retreat at Turnstone, working on mission, vision, and values, hearing inspiring and challenging words about goal achievement from a U.S. Paralympic Women's Goalball Bronze and Silver Medalist, putting on boxing gloves for a rigorous Rock Steady Boxing routine, and playing a competitive game of wheelchair basketball. By centering inclusion as a core theme for the year, Citilink reaffirms its commitment to fostering mobility for all members of our community.
Fort Wayne Metals
Indiana Sports Corp and Team Indiana
The Indiana Sports Corp is an organization dedicated to growing and enhancing sports tourism in Indiana. They have shown tremendous support in the Paralympic Movement and Turnstone's ability to host high-caliber adaptive sporting events, which aligns with Indiana's vision of being a premier sports destination.
Team Indiana partnered with Turnstone in funding the 2024 Women's & Military Division Wheelchair Basketball Nationals which will be held at the Plassman Athletic Center at Turnstone on April 26th - 28th, 2024. This event marks the first time that the National Wheelchair Basketball Association has hosted a National in the state of Indiana and the Fort Wayne community. We are grateful to Team Indiana and the Indiana Sports Corp for being a champion of adaptive sports in our community!
Visit Fort Wayne
Visit Fort Wayne plays a pivotal role in our community – expanding Fort Wayne’s economy by attracting convention and leisure visitors and making recent transplants feel welcomed and informed. They emphatically market Fort Wayne as a ‘city for all abilities’ and to back that up, they have accessibility firmly planted in all three tiers of Fort Wayne's ten-year tourism master plan.
May 2024, VFW is hosting its inaugural State of Tourism and Hospitality Awards where the keynote speaker will be John Morris, founder of wheelchairtravel.org. He will highlight the importance of accessible and inclusive travel to help our community grow and be an accessible destination for all.
Because of their efforts to put our city on the map as an adaptive sports capital, people of all abilities from across the world have had the chance to compete in a sport they love. Many of these adaptive tournaments and other events would not be possible to host if they had not proactively collaborated with a local college to assess the accessibility features at attractions, hotels, and restaurants across town.
Visit Fort Wayne's promotional materials show people of all abilities living, working, and enjoying life in our city – including articles written by Turnstone’s very own Larame (pg. 36-37) and Donahue (pg. 31) families, published in their most recent Visitor’s Guide. Their website also offers an entire resource guide on where to eat, sleep, and play in Fort Wayne with accessibility information as the focus.
The YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne
The YMCA has partnered with Turnstone to expand fitness and active living opportunities and increase access to sports for people with and without disabilities in the Greater Fort Wayne area, primarily through the creation of a joint membership that provides access to both facilities. And, thanks to a recent $50,000 grant from The Hartford, access to new adaptive sports equipment will increase local programming across our two organizations.
"Our continued collaboration with the YMCA will help us introduce adaptive sports and active living opportunities to youth with disabilities throughout our community,” said Mike Mushett, Turnstone CEO. “Thanks to The Hartford, we’ll be able to specifically reach areas with previously limited access, foster inclusivity, increase awareness of adaptive sports, encourage athletes to discover their strengths, and further the Paralympic movement here in northeast Indiana.”
Andrew Gritzmaker, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne adds, “Partnerships like these reinforce our pursuit to remove barriers to access for members of our community and to help everyone reach their full potential. Turnstone is a nationally recognized leader in adaptive sports and services. Their knowledge, passion, and partnership with the Y continues to be a driving force behind ensuring a healthy spirit, mind, and body is within reach for all.”
You can learn more about the partnership between Turnstone and The YMCA here.
Zimmer Biomet
Zimmer Biomet's Employee Resource Group (ERG) initiated a conversation with Turnstone on wanting to strengthen its culture of inclusion in and around the workplace. Turnstone was able to host two panels for the ERG: one for July's Disability Pride Month and the other in October during Family Caregiver Month. These panels provided a valuable opportunity for Turnstone employees, clients, and board members to engage in discussions surrounding different disability awareness topics and provide resources, such as our First People video. The many resources Turnstone provided have been leveraged by the ERG post-panel to further the culture discussions among other Zimmer Biomet employees.
Furthermore, Zimmer Biomet has been actively engaged in discussions surrounding volunteer and other opportunities to connect team members based in Warsaw, Indiana, with Turnstone.
3rd Place finish at Nationals (Tier 4) for Turnstone's sled hockey team. Turnstone went 18-13-1 this season while finishing runner-up at both State & League Championships. The 2024 Toyota USA Hockey Sled National Championship incorporated every level of sled hockey. Over 1,080 players across 60 teams from around the country competed for national championship honors in nine different tiers, including six adult and three youth classifications. TOURNAMENT STATS (Team totals after 4 Games) Elliott Mohre 12 Points: 8 Goals & 4 Assists Cai Davis 10 Points: 5 Goals & 5 Assists John Pfeiffer 4 Points: 4 Assists Kevin Hughes 4 Points: 4 Assists Allie Parker 3 Points: 1 Goal & 2 Assists Peter Mitchell 2 Points: 2 Assists Tanner Pfeiffer 1 Point: & 1 Assist Jordy Petrosky 1 Point: & 1 Assist Tom Hunter 3 Games Aaron Wolf 2 Games Noel Klein 31 Total Saves & 1 Shutout in 4 games Coaches: Rick Wynn & Randy Mohre
