When clubs and people with disabilities come together, the world becomes a better place
by Stephen Wallenfels
It is a huge market, with real needs, and one that health clubs are well equipped to serve.
The 2000 U.S. Census reports that more than 49.7 million Americans have some sort of disability or other medical condition of long standing that limits their activities, and others put the number even higher. Dr. Mitchell LaPlante, the director of the Disability Statistics Center (DSC) in San Francisco, believes that there are more than 53 million such individuals, 33 million of them severely disabled.
Remarkably, the figures reflect the predicament of nearly one in every five Americans (those over the age of five).
The Census Bureau defines a disabled person as one who has 'difficulty performing one or more physical or mental functions.' These may include basic physical activities, such as walking, reaching, climbing stairs, and lifting or carrying objects, or cognitive functions, such as learning, remembering, and concentrating.
'The most common disabilities,' notes LaPlante, 'are caused by back impairments (15.6%), heart disease (10.5%), and arthritis (9.8%).' The fastest growing disability: mental illness.
Though the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has improved their access to a wide range of public services, people with disabilities still face lives that, all too frequently, are characterized by poor health, low self-esteem, social isolation, and depression. It is a problem and an opportunity that a growing number of clubs are addressing effectively—in ways both small and large.
Many IHRSA facilities welcome the disabled when they apply for membership and integrate them seamlessly into the normal club routine (see 'A Vision of Success'). Others offer specialized classes for particular populations: e.g., people with heart conditions, survivors of cancer, etc. And then there are those fitness centers that have made the plight of the disabled uniquely their own: confronting their needs directly, and responding in a variety of ways. To maximize access, effectiveness, and impact, some have worked with major charities, or set up a not-for-profit program of their own, or even incorporated as a nonprofit organization.
But, whether they consider the disabled a part—or the heart—of their business, they all mark their progress one success story at a time.
Work With a Partner:
New York Sports Clubs
Four years ago, the New York Sports Clubs (NYSC), a division of Town Sports International (TSI), were searching for a way to give something back to the communities that they serve. The chain, which has 18 locations in New York and New Jersey, had specified a number of criteria: it was looking for a fairly large organization, serving an extensive area and lots of people, that would be able to make good use of its facilities and expertise. It found the perfect partner in the Special Olympics of New Jersey (SONJ).
'Our relationship has been going strong now for more than three years,' observes Michael Cash, the area operations manager for NYSC.
Founded in Chicago in 1968, the Special Olympics employs sports to improve the lives of adults and children with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities (e.g., autism, learning disorders, etc.). Today, it involves more than 1 million athletes worldwide, some 13,500 of whom live or work in NYSC's markets.
Working together, NYSC and SONJ have created a special Healthy Athletes Program that's currently being utilized by 150 Special Olympians. One of the principal benefits of the arrangement is that it provides each participant, as well as their coach, with a complimentary non-prime-time membership (i.e., before 5 p.m.) at a NYSC club. The process begins when SONJ notifies the chain that it has an athlete who'd like to join the program. A NYSC representative then contacts the athlete and their coach and schedules an initial membership meeting, at which an orientation session and facility tour take place. 'We want to make the whole experience as normal as possible,' explains Cash.
The athlete and their coach enjoy the same privileges as any other member, and, in most cases, make heavy use of the cardiovascular and weight training areas. 'Our goal is not just to improve the athlete's times and performance,' notes Gabe Diaz, the sports training director for SONJ, 'but also to help them develop a healthy lifestyle. Just like anyone else, these individuals need to be active and to control their weight.'
Both parties are delighted with the program and hopeful that TSI, which has a total of more than 130 East Coast facilities, may adopt it company-wide, and turn it into a model for the entire industry.
Try a Little Charity:
The Elmwood Fitness Center
The Jo Jo's Hope Learn to Swim Program, a special class for individuals with disabilities offered at the Elmwood Fitness Center, in New Orleans, owes its existence to a single caring person. In 2001, Robert 'Robbie' Fritscher, the aquatics director at the club, created the program, naming it after a nephew who had drowned. 'My goals,' Fritscher explains, 'are to give the participants something to do after school, and, as they progress, to move them, whenever possible, into mainstream club programs.'
Fritscher set up Jo Jo's Hope as a 501(c)3, in order to hold down both costs and fees, making it possible for more people to participate. Elmwood, a for-profit center owned by the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, donates use of the pool and provides the instructors, who are paid by Jo Jo's Hope.
More than 100 students are currently enrolled in the program, which is held on Sundays and Mondays, and costs $24 a month. The swimmers range, in age, from nine months to 73 years, and are grappling with a variety of disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, Parkinson's disease, and brain and spinal injuries. 'We have kids who will never walk,' says Fritscher, 'but they can learn how to swim.'
'The water gives them a sense of freedom and independence,' explains instructor Kathy Ault. 'Their self-confidence skyrockets. And when you see their parents, friends, and family members standing at the side of the pool, with tears in their eyes—you know the program is making a positive difference and changing people's lives.'
Forego the Profit:
Breakout Fitness, Inc.
Kathleen Ferguson noticed a need that wasn't being met, and stepped in to fill it in a dramatic way. A physical therapist, Ferguson routinely worked with clients with a variety of disabilities—paraplegics, quadriplegics, and the victims of blindness, stroke, amputation, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis—but was concerned about their after-care. 'Once the rehab process was finished,' she explains, 'these people needed a place to go to that offered accessible exercise equipment and a comfortable, welcoming environment.'
In Cleveland, Ohio, no such place existed.
In 1996, Ferguson opened a small prototype facility in a medical rehab center that proved successful in meeting the fitness needs of people with disabilities. In 1999, she founded Breakout Fitness, Inc., qualified for nonprofit status a year later, and, in 2001, opened her first club in a rehab center on the city's east side. 'The center pays us to operate Breakout Fitness during evening hours, when physical therapy isn't being provided,' she says.
