Why should your fitness facility market to individuals with disabilities?

1. Over 54 million Americans, or nearly 20% of the population, have a disability or activity limitation. This is a growing niche market for the fitness industry.
2. Approximately 100 million to 125 million Americans have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, or obesity that can be improved with a fitness program.
3. A large percentage of Americans may require accessible equipment or a program adaptation in order to take advantage of current fitness options.
4. A fitness center that accommodates people with disabilities is more likely to benefit from physician and health care provider referrals. In addition, an accessible center will win member loyalty and new member referrals.
5. Making equipment or facility alterations that increase overall accessibility can also enhance the usability as perceived by current and future members who do not have a disability or health condition.
6. By the year 2050, 1 in every 4 Americans will be over the age of 65. It is estimated that over 50% of this age category will have a mobility limitation. This number is projected to increase dramatically to greater than 70% after the age of 74.
7. Any effort to address the needs of people with disabilities is an opportunity to market and expand your membership to a growing population.

Making Your Fitness Center a Welcoming Facility

Fitness facilities are sometimes fearful about addressing accessibility and ADA-related issues. Here are a few ideas and resources that can be helpful in this process.

• Assess how environmental barriers can be removed and accessible features can be incorporated into all areas of your facility, including doors and entryways, restrooms and locker rooms, signage and adaptive equipment. Please see NCPAD's 'Before and After Fitness Center Makeover' at http://www.ncpad.org/get/fitnessCenter/index.html.
• Go beyond the minimum requirements of the law to incorporate principles of Universal Design to make your facility accessible to more people. According to Ron Mace, founder and former program director of The Center for Universal Design, 'Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.'
• Provide equipment that offers features for users of varying degrees of ability, including sensory and physical abilities.
• Interact with people with disabilities as you would any other members, taking into account individual needs and utilizing the many exercise options that may be available.

Useful Information

• Separate your facility's fitness professionals from the rest of the pack by improving the knowledge and quality of service they are able to provide to clients with disabilities. NCHPAD is proud to be able to offer a specialty certification with the American College of Sports Medicine. The ACSM/NCHPAD Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer (CIFT) is a fitness professional involved in developing and implementing an individualized exercise program for a person who may have a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability, who is healthy or has medical clearance to perform independent physical activity. To learn more about the CIFT, go to http://www.vue.com/acsm/cift/.
• A disability may or may not be observable or apparent. It can affect mobility, vision, speech, hearing, or even cognition and is not necessarily an indicator of poor health. If a person does not choose to disclose his or her disability, that is his or her right. You may wish to include a section on your new member form that offers the opportunity for all new members to identify specific program or facility accommodations that may be desired.
• In addition to adaptive exercise equipment, some mainstream equipment can accommodate a wide range of ability levels. Ask your vendor for information or contact NCHPAD for additional resources.
• Review information on the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) WK19803 New Inclusive Fitness Equipment Design at http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/COMMITTEE/F08.htm.
  Additional resources on equipment design include:
  http://www.beneficialdesigns.com/udgfe/index.html
  and http://www.inclusivefitness.org/inclusive-fitness-initiative/inclusive-fitness-equipment/.
• When building or modifying an existing facility, visit http://www.access-board.gov or call (800) USA-ABLE to receive valuable information on fitness center design specifications that accommodate individuals with disabilities.
• There are many tax incentives available to facilities that make accommodations for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information, visit http://www.adata.org or call (800) 949-4232.