As tennis shines in the spotlight during the Australian summer of tennis, the Australian Open provides an important demonstration that everyone is welcome in the sport.
With expanded initiatives and several new spaces across the precinct, a day at Melbourne Park shows that everyone can enjoy the tournament, and the sport, in their own way.
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“We've tried to think of absolutely everything that anyone might need to make sure their experience of tennis is positive,” says Kerry Tavrou. As Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Tennis Australia, Tavrou has an objective to ensure that the sport touches every area of the community.
It makes All Abilities Day, which is celebrated at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, an important day in the sport’s calendar.
“We kicked off in the morning with blind and low-vision groups hitting on Margaret Court Arena,” Tavrou explained of the day’s packed program.
Para-standing tennis will also be demonstrated at the Australian Open for the first time.
“For people who have physical disabilities but don't want to use a wheelchair, para-standing tennis is an option”, Tavrou explains.
“We've now adopted it in Australia. We've run a couple of pilot tournaments last year but this year we will be fully promoting and launching it.”
Also new for this year are initiatives to support people with disabilities that are not immediately obvious.
“We've launched communication boards at all of our information booths that are really designed for people with disabilities but we're finding that people for whom English is a second language are utilising them a lot,” says Tavrou.
“Alongside sensory rooms for neurodiverse people from previous years, a new quiet room has been set up. This is the result of an accessibility audit, meaning we’ve got three on site now.”
There is also support for neurodiverse people who wish to remain mobile around the grounds.
“People can hire sensory packs, which include fidget toys, sensory toys or equipment, and then you've also got noise cancelling headphones,” Tavrou explains.
Another feature for AO 2024 is the Sunflower Initiative, which is designed to support people with hidden disabilities.
“I believe the stat is 90 per cent of people with disabilities have hidden disabilities, so our team has been through additional training to understand how to be inclusive of all people, even if you can't visibly see their disability,” he adds.
To support these initiatives, 80 team members have been employed as inclusion representatives at AO 2024. They help ensure that every member of the community is supported at Melbourne Park.
“We've incorporated not just things for physical accessibility but also changing places facilities. We've got hearing loops, we work with BindiMaps for way finding for people who are blind and low-vision,” Tavrou says.
The Australian Open is also increasingly accessible for community members beyond Melbourne Park.
The ground-breaking technology of Action Audio has returned to AO Radio, making the broadcast accessible to blind or low-vision people. Designed by Tennis Australia’s innovation team in collaboration with Monash University, the world-first technology helps people keep up with the action on Rod Laver Arena.
As Irena Farinacci, the National Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator, explains: “A person who's blind can't see the ball but they can hear and listen to how the ball is being played and hit off the racquet and this is the experience we want them to feel.
“Everyone has an opportunity to actually feel every colour, the tapestry of what tennis is all about.”
The diverse LGBTQ+ community is also warmly welcomed at the Australian Open.
The AO Pride Hub, situated on the grassy hill near Court 3, offers a safe and relaxing space for AO Patrons.
“The hill's such a great place to relax, you can sit down in chairs, you can bring your family and friends, and watch the tennis on the screen,” says Farinacci. “The AO store right next to it features t-shirts you can buy to show your support for AO Pride.
Proceeds from the merchandise sales go towards the Australian Tennis Foundation, which, in turn, supports LGBTQ+ initiatives across the country.
AO Pride Day, on Thursday, will start with several Come and Try sessions for Trans and Gender Diverse participants as well as LGBTQ+ Rainbow Families. This is supported by Proud2Play and Tennis Victoria.
Patrons can also see a range of colourful entertainment provided by drag kings and queens, roller derby dancers and have their faces painted at the Glam Stations positioned across the precinct.
And for music lovers, AO Pride Day will be kicking off the Finals Festivals at John Cain Arena. This will include a variety of LGBTQ+ performers including Tash Sultana who is our AO Pride Ambassador.
The finals of the Glam Slam, an amateur tournament run by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, will be staged at Melbourne Park on Sunday.