What is the "Inclusive Fitness" Iniative?

Research conducted by the Gay Jelen Sports Foundation during 1998 identified the following :

• A lack of provision in fitness facilities for disabled people
  
• A lack of disability awareness among facility staff providing a
  barrier to participation
  
• A lack of knowledge amongst disabled people of the benefits
  of exercise.
  

The Inclusive Fitness Initiative seeks to counter these very real issues. The Initiative is a two year £1.3 million pan-disability pilot project enabling disabled people to access inclusive fitness equipment throughout England. “Thereby significantly increasing opportunities for sports specific conditioning and training and improving general levels of health and fitness for disabled people” The IFI objectives pilot scheme are to:

• Raise the profile and value of sport, health and fitness amongst disabled people and particularly non-active disabled people.
  
• Pro-actively promote and market the availability of inclusive fitness equipment for disabled people, older people and people temporarily disabled.
  
• Enable disabled people to access inclusive fitness equipment in up to a maximum of 30 public sector facilities.
  
• Appropriately train a body of disabled and non-disabled fitness staff within these public sector facilities, to maximise the benefits to disabled people of using fitness equipment.
  
• Further promote the pathways for disabled people to subsequently access and progress into existing or new sporting and leisure activities.

For more information contact: Inclusive Fitness Initiative, Thorncliffe Park Estate, Chapeltown, Sheffield S35 2PH
Tel 0114 257 2060 (Textphone users add prefix 18001 to access Typetalk)
Fax 0114 257 0664
Email: info@inclusivefitness.org.uk
Web www.inclusivefitness.org.uk

© Copyright British Council of Disabled People 2002