Eric Bell is the first to admit he had no exposure to people with disabilities most of his life. Though, that all changed when he was in college.
During a trip in eastern Washington, he dove into a lake and broke his C6 and C7 vertebrae, severing his spinal cord in the process. He was studying at the University of Washington at the time, and soon after his injury he started to pursue a degree in disability studies.
One of his courses required a capstone project. Eric, as a new wheelchair user, used it as a chance to check if a main campus building followed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility guidelines.
From there, everything changed.
“My world perspective changed,” Eric said. “That’s where I found out I was part of a minority category called people with disabilities. That’s where I began to figure out how that fit with society. That’s how I found my career path.”
After college, Eric served as the Physical Access Consultant at the University of Arizona for eight years. In January 2024, he was hired as the Disability Services Manager for the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.
As part of his role, he is at almost every home basketball game for the two professional teams. He also attends a variety of other events at Mortgage Matchup Center (formerly PHX Arena and Footprint Center), including concerts. His main goal: create an accessible and inclusive environment for people with disabilities.
“My position is extremely important,” Eric said. “Not every professional sports franchise has a full-time disability services manager, so it says something about the Phoenix Suns and Mercury organization. It is a full-time job for sure, it’s fast-paced and demanding. A lot of folks reach out about accessibility through our email address: accessibility@suns.com.”
Eric tries to ensure the availability of accessible locations for chair users. This involves swapping tickets, if necessary.
Sometimes, this requires creativity and making last-minute changes.
“The one event so far that I’ve worked at that we just didn’t have anything to work with was the Bruce Springsteen concert,” Eric said. “It was a rescheduled event so it was very sold out and we didn’t have much to work with like we usually do. …. We had to be creative.”
Despite the sold-out crowd, Eric said he and his team found an accessible section for those who needed it. The view wasn’t the best, but attendees were thankful nonetheless.
Exchanging tickets is just one way Eric attempts to do his job to the best of his ability. He’s set out to create an inclusive environment for people with all types of disabilities.
Mortgage Matchup Center has a sensory room, where individuals can go to escape an overstimulating event. It’s one of the quietest rooms in the building, filled with sensory tools like textured walls to help guests manage overstimulation. Eric said those devices help relieve stress and anxiety in the moment.
Eric has also aimed to improve Mortgage Matchup Center for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Eric hopes to begin incorporating more seating options in the future, as well as increasing transparency for what attendees can expect at the venue.
“As a disabled person myself, one of the biggest challenges is not knowing what you’re getting into before you get there,” Eric said. “I think one of the biggest challenges for me is getting enough accurate information into the right hands before someone comes to an event.”
“One way we do that is our website. I’m working on getting some information on our website so folks understand what happens when you don’t have accessible tickets and you need them.”
Eric doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon as it relates to accessibility at Mortgage Matchup Center. He vows to make every event as enjoyable as possible for people with disabilities.
After all, everyone should be able to enjoy local events.
“There’s much fewer seats in the house for folks with disabilities compared to the general population,” Eric said. “It’s extremely important to be able to ensure that those seats are going to the people that need the features of those seats. I think it shows to the general public that it’s important disabled folks are able to enjoy the concerts, the events, the games, just like the general population.”
