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Recreation Centers Can Improve Inclusion and Accessibility
It's vitally important to fitness welcoming and accessible to everyone
Australian study reveals practical strategies for improvement.
Specific strategies for improving diversity and inclusion in recreation centers for people with disabilities, older adults, people of color and LGBTQIA+ people can include:
- physical accommodations;
- diverse targeted programs;
- inclusive communications and signage;
- representative staffing, diversity;
- inclusion staff training; and,
- a policy of fostering welcoming and motivating environments for all users.
Deakin University researchers in Geelong, Australia, identified these strategies through a study of 18 adult recreation center users in Melbourne, Australia. Study participants offered information about positive and negative facility experiences and suggestions for improving accessibility and inclusion.
Additional ideas to boost inclusion involve increasing partnerships with community organizations that serve participants in priority populations, and for facilities to offer practical support beyond physical activity and recreation; like creating gathering spaces for social support and networking.
Improvements to physical accommodations include improving parking accessibility, pools and changing rooms, and offering gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms. To learn more details about other strategies, check open access study findings in BMC Public Health (2024; doi: 10.1186/s12889-023).
Question of the Month
How diverse is your clientele at your training facility? For example, do participants include people across different age groups, with different abilities and from different cultures, ethnic groups and sexual orientation? If your facility has made conscious efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion through any of the strategies noted in the above study that have created positive results, please share. Or, if you have implemented other successful strategies, please describe them. Tell us about your experiences using the Comments section below.
We want to hear from you!
See also: Create Inclusivity for Special Populations
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
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