The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 required public buildings, schools, libraries, restaurants and office buildings to provide wide doors and ramps to allow accessibility for people who are blind, deaf or in wheelchairs equally. Interestingly enough, health clubs are rarely set up to allow the 49.7 million Americans (as of the 2000 Census) estimated to be in wheelchairs, blind or otherwise physically or mentally impaired.
There are a handful of gyms that are accessible for wheelchair bound patrons, but many gyms have equipment placed too close together to allow wheelchairs to navigate around them. Fewer have Braille imprinted on the controls to guide the blind to where they want to be. Fewer still have qualified trainers that can help out the disabled navigate and train in the gym.
In fact, the majority disabled Americans who would enjoy working out in a gym atmosphere are less likely to attempt it because they have fewer options. This may change shortly as the Department of Justice begins to review the 30,000 plus health clubs in the country for compliance to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Some health clubs may argue that outfitting with specialty equipment could incur greater cost, however most gyms have four to five pieces of equipment per area of the body to work. They would need only one or two of each type that are accessible for the disabled. This means chairs that swing out that allow the transfer from the wheelchair to the equipment without fear of falling. It means Braille instructions and raised pads on handles to guide the hands of the blind.
The equipment is already available from many of the larger fitness companies. Check out most physical therapy centers. They are more than outfitted the needs of the disabled, allowing them to workout and build physical fitness. Getting the disabled in the door is the first step, providing the equipment is the second, but the third and probably the most important step is the sensitivity training for employees of fitness centers.
I know from personal experience that a lot of people avoid gyms because of the expectations that they feel from the employees and other patrons. It can be hard to focus on a workout when you are extremely conscious of the physical differences between yourself and the other patrons as well as the employees. As an overweight woman, that sensitivity is there, but only in small measures.
When a wheelchair bound patron or a blind person with a guide dog walks in the door, that effect is doubled if not tripled. The reactions can be as extreme as gazing at the person as if they are nuts to honestly informing them that the facility is not capable of servicing their needs.
Granted, the disabled could hire a personal trainer to assist them with everything from programming the machines, to transferring from one piece of equipment to another. However, since a large number of us ‘abled’ can’t afford a personal trainer, it stands to reason that the average ‘disabled’ individual can’t either.
What can we do about it? Fitness is a lifestyle we embrace whether it’s a regular workout or a specialized program to rehabilitate our muscles. Our disabled brothers and sisters deserve the same opportunities and should not be affected by spacing or lack of equipment.
There are clubs in the United States that provide for the abled and disabled alike. Check in with your club and see if they do. If they don’t, start lobbying to make the changes. Everyone has the right to a workout. If they can afford to pay the gym dues, then they should be afforded equal right of access to the equipment.
From a personal standpoint, I have worked out at clubs that provide access for the disabled. A man in a wheelchair used to build strength on the arm machines. He showed equal determination, endurance and focus as everyone else. The greatest experience happened when he showed me how to use one piece of arm equipment that I didn’t get. He did so freely and with a great smile.
He knew what he was doing. Being in a wheelchair hardly impaired the rest of him. He could explain how to use the equipment and taught it in such a great way that I never forgot how to use it again. Disabled does not mean unable and it’s time to welcome everyone, equally in the door, on the floor and on the machines.