December 2019
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
No 315 £3
Disabled people an ‘increasing priority’ – claim ENGAGING disabled people in gyms is becoming an “increasing priority” for fitness professionals, who think that working with them should be part of personal trainer qualifications, a UK survey has revealed. Survey results in the Raising the Bar report has identified working with disabled people as a core skill, with 95 per cent of respondents saying it should be included as standard in PT qualifications, instead of being an optional study route. Many gyms also aim to run inclusive classes and grow the proportion of disabled members in the next five years. Data from the report by Future Fit Training was collected by surveying the UK’s largest leisure operators, representing more than 45,000 fitness employees. It reveals that 64 per cent are making it a priority for their organisation to grow the proportion of disabled people in their membership base over the next five years. 41 per cent of respondents also run, or have plans to run, inclusive exercise sessions, which are designed to include both disabled and nondisabled people. Rob Johnson, founder and MD of Future Fit Training, said: “In terms of looking ahead, these results are very positive and what
we want to see from the fitness industry. “There are nearly 14 million disabled people in the UK today, so gyms should be doing what they can to involve and engage them in fitness now and in the future.” Despite the results, other data from the report shows that disabled people are not currently being catered for in gyms. This includes 86 per cent of fitness employees saying current training does not equip PTs and fitness professionals to work with them. More than half (61 per cent) of UK fitness professionals are also unsure of what proportion of their customer base have a disability. Rob added: “While it’s clear to see that PTs are yet to be able to effectively engage disabled people, our findings highlight a positive drive among fitness employers to actively prioritise and progress in this area. “This is becoming an increasing priority and that’s really good news. Fitness professionals may not be there yet, but things are progressing and could be very different in five years’ time.” Raising the Bar is an annual review of the physical activity workforce, training and development landscape, undertaken by Future Fit Training and supported by ukactive.
Emma Redgate, a lifeguard at Parkwood Leisure’s Rushcliffe Arena Leisure Centre, took part in the 2019 BBC Children in Need Rickshaw Challenge. Emma was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia aged just 10 months, resulting in her undergoing two liver transplants. In 2017 she then suffered a seizure which led to her being unable to walk and having difficulty with her sight. However, that didn’t hold Emma back and a year later her sight returned and following a long rehabilitation and physiotherapy programme, Emma was able to walk again. She has since gone from strength to strength completed the famous BBC Children in Need challenge as part of a seven-person team, which is led by The One Show host Matt Baker (pictured).