Past frustrations should not stop you from using a fitness center. Yes, there are barriers, but there are also solutions. Some of the common barriers experienced by people with disabilities¹,², include:

• The fitness facility is not physically or environmentally accessible
• The facility's equipment and group classes are not accessible or not usable
• The staff has not had education and training on disability or accessibility issues
• The staff and some members have negative attitudes about people with disabilities
• Some of the facility policies and procedures discriminate against people with disabilities

Have you experienced any of these problems? How can you deal with these barriers and make using a fitness center easy? How can you get fitness centers to make changes?

Image of a woman with right arm prosthesis using an arm ergometer

Managers and owners of fitness centers are beginning to realize that in order to stay in business they can't appeal only to those who are young, thin, fit, and who have no activity limitations. More diverse groups of "real" people are using fitness centers, including older adults, people who are obese and others who have never before exercised. These changing user groups and customer-base are beginning to force fitness centers to offer a more welcoming environment for people with disabilities, but many owners, and operators of fitness centers are still not aware of the barriers that make using their facilities difficult for people with activity limitations or disabilities. They are not yet designing their centers to provide equipment, and features that are usable by people with a wide range of abilities and needs