Key Takeaways
This is the second of a five-part series from Lakeshore Foundation that will move through the five domains necessary to provide a comprehensive approach to ensuring that you are offering accessible fitness programs and that your fitness center is inclusive and welcoming to all individuals, including those with disabilities. Join us as we move through the five domains to ensure your fitness center is welcoming and accessible to everyone. Read Part 1 here: The Built Environment.
Read on to discover how proper instruction can be the key to inclusive and equitable fitness. And, use the step-by-step process to evaluate your current instruction—to both your employees and facility members—and make improvements to create an experience that is welcoming to all individuals.
This blog covers instruction, which includes techniques used to enhance learning for fitness center staff, individuals with a disability and their family members or caregivers. For staff, examples include webinars, lunch and learns, seminars, in-service trainings and certificate programs. For individuals with a disability and their family members or caregivers, instruction includes one-on-one training and group fitness classes, as well as all interactions with employees once they enter the facility.
One of the primary barriers to participation in physical activity for individuals with a disability is the negative attitudes of people—including fitness center staff—toward disability. It’s very important to ensure that individuals with a disability feel welcomed and included in your facility. From your front desk staff to your program staff, each employee can leave a lasting impression with your members.
The instruction domain encompasses two main areas:
1. Training delivered to our staff: There are many trainings available that can help equip your staff to better engage members with a disability. Here are some basics that we recommend:
- All staff in a facility should be required to take disability education training. This can be key in helping to resolve some of those attitudinal barriers people with disability face.
- Staff in specialized positions should take trainings or complete certificate programs specific to their area of expertise. This way, they can ensure that individuals with a disability feel welcome and included in any of their programs. So, if an individual who uses a wheelchair shows up to one of your classes, regardless of whether it’s yoga, aquatics or any other type of class, staff feels equipped to fully include them in that workout.
- Staff members may become an Inclusive Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine or earn other adapted fitness certificates.
- Education and training on working with clients with disabilities is limited in the fitness industry, which is something that ACE and Lakeshore Foundation are working to address through our partnership.
2. The accessibility of the content you provide to your members and staff: If you host group fitness classes, lunch and learns, nutrition demos or similar events, ensure that the information is delivered in an accessible manner. Here’s what we recommend:
- Offer large print or braille handouts. This can include your membership documents, workout files and more.
- Provide an interpreter if requested and always make sure voices are amplified with a microphone. An instructor should never ask the class if they can hear them if they aren’t using amplification. If an individual in the class does have hearing difficulty, they most likely won’t want to be singled out. Best practice ensures that a mic is used in a group setting.
- In a group fitness class, make sure your instructors provide seated and standing exercise options and use inclusive terminology so that everyone feels welcome.
- People learn best when a variety of instructional methods are used, regardless of disability. Facilitators should always use multiple forms of instruction, such as verbally describing a movement while demonstrating it.
- Never give undue praise or attention to an individual with a disability. For example, don’t praise an individual with a disability just because they came to exercise that day. And, never use that individual as an example to others by saying; “well if they can do it, so can you,” as that is very degrading.
Inclusion Solutions
Consider taking the following steps to improve the accessibility of the instruction in your facility:
- Seek out training around disability for all staff.
- Ensure fitness staff are trained on inclusive fitness.
- Enlist the help of individuals with a disability to evaluate your inclusive instructions.
- Provide opportunities for members to request accommodations.
Resources
Take advantage of these resources from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability:
Check out this blog learn to more about Lakeshore Foundation and Serving Clients with Disabilities. And be sure to read Part 1 of this series: The Built Environment.
