Bowling is a great activity for the whole family, and there are several ways in which it can be adapted and made more accessible for everyone! Here’s a few ideas and tips for that we have found useful for our Community Discovery outings to bowling alleys in the past that can be made inexpensively with just a little bit of preparation beforehand!

When booking the bowling session, a time was requested that would not be to busy or over-stimulating (avoiding laser light show & boom music on this outing).
When booking a request was made to book the two lanes side-by-side, next to a wall. This location allowed easy of reference and interaction by the participants with less potential distraction from other groups.
The need for wheelchair access/ramping to a lane (preferably the outside lane next to the wall), and a wheelchair ball delivery “tray” was discussed so the equipment was set-out and at the ready.
Early arrival was encouraged by participants, particularly those who have never been to the bowling centre. This provided an opportunity to adjust to the lighting, sounds, and lay-out (seating, snack bar, shoe counter).
Orientation or familiarization to the Centre was followed by reference to the game of 5 pin with a quick run through of the balls, (weight & size); pin value and placements; delivery line; number of balls per player per frame, scoring; location of the gutters; placement of the scoreboard and tally; and changing into bowling shoes. For blind participants a sensory tour of the bowling alley can include a Pictures in a Flash- (PIAF) or tactile diagrams of the setting, a bowling lane and pin placement.
To enhance visibility in tracking a ball, watching the number of pins knocked over, checking the scoreboard, and generally checking the place out, a variety of monoculars and a pair of mini-binoculars where made available.
The use of an iPad was effective as participants used the video feature and magnification to check bowling technique, tracking the ball, viewing the number of pins knocked over, and freeze frame shot of the scoreboard.
What about that little black line that causes a sensor to go off if your toe goes over the line when delivering the ball?
- Problem solved by placing two high contrast strips of tape on the floor, parallel and just a hair back from the delivery line. Two lines of tape where used to provide more visual “pop” and to allow reference to the black dots that correspond to pin placement at the end of the lane. For increased tactile reference, a light weight-dollar store length of cord can be taped underneath one or both of the contrast-taped lines.
- For added visibility of the delivery line and help with alignment for students in a wheelchair, two small, bright red traffic cones were set out * Note, when the tray was aligned at the delivery line this placed the bowler at a disadvantage, from the pins. We modified this by having the bowler bring their wheelchair up to the cones-delivery line with tray extended past.

Image of a student using a monocular to explore and check out the bowling centre.

Images of students using a monocular to explore and check out the bowling centre along with images of modifications to the delivery line, use of traffic cones, and the use of hi-contrast tape.