Accommodations are the norm. Ramps are low-grade and extra wide to fit two wheelchairs at the same time. Sign language interpreters appear in the corner of videos. Cane guards double as benches in the building’s spacious atrium. In one gallery, where visitors can try out different sports using modified equipment, archers can tell if they are aiming at the target’s center by listening to the speed between audible beeps. Those attempting the luge know if they hit the walls on their run by feeling a subtle vibration in their sleds.

The museum’s exhibition designer, Gallagher & Associates, based in Washington, D.C., used athletes across the board as consultants, and many were conveniently on-hand. Colorado Springs is home to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the steward of the American team, as well as the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, where athletes ready themselves to compete. The nonprofit museum operates separately from those organizations, which have licensed it to use “Olympic” in its name.

By and large, the $91 million project is a local effort, supported by the Colorado Springs business community, which hopes the museum will be a catalyst for tourism and bring excitement to a formerly industrial part of the city that is ripe for redevelopment.

Source: New York Times

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