Australian Open Promotes Accessibility, Diversity & Inclusion

January 21, 2022 

Encompassing resources for people of all abilities, celebrations of Indigenous culture and recognition of LGTBQ+ players and fans, the Australian Open 2022 (AO), is employing a range of initiatives to make the Grand Slam tennis tournament more accessible and inclusive. 

“Every year we strive to make our event more accessible for everyone and these initiatives are another example of how the AO is diversifying our partnerships, programs and opportunities to benefit all members of our community,” said Tennis Australia Chief Diversity and People Officer, Anna Livingston. 

Accessibility initiatives at the Open, which began January 9, include: 

• The mobile app, BindiMaps, which provides wayfinding (information systems that guide people through a physical environment) beacons highlighting key locations around Melbourne Park where AO 2022 is taking part for people who are blind, or vision impaired 
• Action Audio, in collaboration with AKQA and led by Dr. Chatai Goncu, which gives millions of vision impaired people the opportunity to experience matches in real-time through AO Radio. This program is supported by Vision Australia, the country’s largest provider of services for people with blindness and low vision 
• Yarra Trams, in partnership with Traveller’s Aid Australia, which helps passengers with a disability more easily travel to the event  

In addition, the AO is even more accessible for global fans, with a brand new virtual experience available on Decentraland, giving people the chance to experience and interact at the AO remotely. 

“Tennis is truly a diverse sport, with people of all backgrounds and abilities playing and enjoying our great game on a regular basis. We need to ensure that our event is as welcoming and accessible as possible for everyone, and that includes providing playing and participation opportunities at one of the world’s most visible sporting events,” Livingston continued.  

On January 19, AO 2022 celebrated its inaugural First Nations Day, to honor the history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Australian tennis player and World Number 1, Ash Barty, who has Indigenous heritage was front and center. "On a day when we're bringing culture together ... it was really nice for me to go out and enjoy that." 

The tournament will also celebrate its first-ever Pride Day on January 24 in a show of support and inclusion to LGTBQ+ players and fans. The initiative will be followed by the AO Glam Slam, an LGBTQ+ tennis tournament presented by fashion company Ralph Lauren on January 30.

The day will see a number of activations, including providing a platform to the experiences of prominent LGBTQ+ community members and the importance of inclusion in Australian sport in a video created in the spirit of the day, titled pride heroes. 

A series of diversity and inclusion ‘come and try’ and ‘kids on court’ sessions are being held and prayer rooms have been implemented for our diverse multicultural community. Additionally, three inclusive tournaments – an AO PWII tournament for top players with intellectual impairments, the inaugural national AO Deaf and Hard of Hearing event and AO Quad Wheelchair are also taking place over the two weeks.