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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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A Busy Month for Inclusive Fitness Coalition (IFC)


March was a busy month for our Inclusive Fitness Coalition (IFC)! To make sure that all of our NCHPAD newsletter subscribers have the opportunity to participate in the work the Coalition is doing, this seems like a good time for an update. We began the month by announcing the launch of the IFC workgroup on Policy. The policy workgroup members will oversee a comprehensive initiative to advance systemic change for individuals with disabilities through a coordination of policy, advocacy, and education efforts. A core issue for this group in 2011 will be to address the barriers inhibiting individuals with disabilities from participating in sports and physical activity programs, while simultaneously creating a long-term national advocacy movement for the inclusion of people with disabilities in all areas of physical activity. To learn more about the mission and goals of the IFC Policy work group, please visit http://incfit.org/node/188 .

On Tuesday, March 15, the IFC, along with Representative Kind and the Congressional Fitness Caucus, hosted a Congressional briefing at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. Titled "Preventing Obesity in Children and Youth with Disabilities through Participation in Physical Activity," the briefing featured distinguished researchers and guests presenting information demonstrating why children and youth with disabilities must be provided with participation opportunities in physical activity and athletic programs that are equivalent to those provided to children and youth without disabilities. To view the complete speaker list, visit http://incfit.org/files/Speaker%20Handout.pdf . The event was well-received, with over 30 individuals in attendance and numerous others calling and emailing IFC staff to express their interest in being part of the workgroup. The attendee packet and other information about the briefing can be downloaded here: http://incfit.org/node/524 .

Following the briefing, NCPAD, a founding member of the Coalition, worked with our friends at the American Association of Adapted Sports (AAASP) [http://www.adaptedsports.org] and Right-Fit [http://www.right-fit.com] to put together a public service announcement to be used to share the message of the policy workgroup. The video summarizes the importance of physical activity for youth with disabilities from many different perspectives. Please view the video on our NCHPAD YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CINNAGgPzig , and pass it along as you see fit. We would love to hear your feedback, too!

Panel discussion at the IFC Congressional Briefing.
Panel discussion at the IFC Congressional Briefing.

The Coalition closed out the month by hosting a briefing on the health of children and youth with disabilities on March 28, at the White House in Washington, DC. The goal of this "invite-only" meeting was to educate members of the Administration about the importance of physical activity for youth with disabilities to prevent obesity and obesity-related secondary conditions, and let key leaders know what the Administration do to help youth with disabilities in physical activity settings. We hope to post a follow-up summary on this meeting on the IFC site soon. Stay tuned!

Updates and information regarding IFC policy initiatives are regularly shared via the IFC email list and on the IFC website. To join the policy mailing list, visit http://incfit.org/mailman/listinfo/policy_incfit.org , or to subscribe to the general IFC email list. For questions or comments, please contact me using our hotline, 800-900-8086, or via email at jmadri1@uic.edu .


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