The Mayor's Awards are designed to promote awareness of the need for accessibility, services and employment for individuals with disabilities. Presented annually, the Mayor's Awards recognize individuals, organizations or businesses within Edmonton that demonstrate a commitment to persons with disabilities. There has been a greater movement in the city towards inclusion that can be seen in the newer designs of buildings and public spaces as well as the service areas provided by post-secondary institutions.
The Saville Community Sports Centre, a multi-sport facility located on the University of Alberta South Campus, won the 2014 Mayor's Award for Universal Design in Architecture - Non-Residential. This award is given out to a project whose designs demonstrate creative sensitivity for the practical concerns of making urban architecture and community developments accessibility to persons with disabilities.
The Saville Community Sports Centre is managed and operated by the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, at the University of Alberta. There is 320,000 square feet of interior space with 12 basketball courts, 24 volleyball courts, fitness centre, indoor track, gymnastics facility, 2 fitness studios, 2800 seat feature gymnasium, 30 badminton courts, conference rooms, pro racket shop, 10 curling sheets, 8 tennis courts, high performance training and research centre, 6 classrooms, 3 boardrooms, lounge, and food and beverage services.
The facility is home to the Alberta Northern Lights Wheelchair Basketball Society (ANLWBS) and the Edmonton Inferno Wheelchair Basketball Society, the Canadian National Sitting Volleyball Team, wheelchair curling, wheelchair tennis, and the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation student labs for adapted sports also use the facility. The facility has been designed to be wheelchair friendly and includes 2 elevators, spacious and easily accessible points of entry to all activity and non-activity related spaces, wheelchair friendly washrooms, and specialized fitness equipment. The Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) was consulted throughout the design process over the seven plus years it took to raise funds and finalize the finished product.