Paraclimber Jeantique Hommel writes about the development of paraclimbing in the UK, and shares resources for those wanting to get involved.
Our community is also rapidly growing and changing. Over the last few years, there have been big changes to the classification criteria that dictate whether or not a climber is eligible to take part in formal national and international paraclimbing competitions. As these rules have become more stringent, many climbers who used to feel welcomed and accepted in these spaces have felt pushed out of the sport.
These changes have come at a time when there is more emphasis on the rights and needs of disabled people in society than ever before. And so, disabled climbers from all over the UK have taken matters into our own hands, and created a new type of community that exists outside of the competitive paraclimbing scene. It is one that truly has no bounds.