COIMBATORE: Sathish Kumar, a person with cerebral palsy, has physiotherapy sessions twice a month, but says he would love to train regularly at a gym. “But most fall short of meeting the needs of persons with disabilities (PwDs),” says the disability rights activist.
Narrow entrances, cramped spaces between equipment, no support straps. Even something as basic as transferring from a wheelchair to a workout bench requires assistance, he says. “It makes it impossible to train.”
In what activists term a starting point for inclusion in public fitness infrastructure, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in collaboration with NGO Better World Shelter, recently launched a gym for PwDs.
But still, this only scratches the surface, say activists. Madhavi Latha, president of Yes We Too Can (YWTC) Charitable Trust and founder of the
Wheelchair Basketball
Federation of India, says trainers often don’t know how to train PwDs.
“A universal technique will not work for those with upper-body and lower-body functional abilities,” says Latha, who has been advocating for inclusive fitness for more than a decade.
Geetha Kannan, a paraathlete preparing for national-level competitions, has been representing the state at different levels, but still doesn’t have regular access to
inclusive gyms
.
“I’ve had to make do with limited facilities that don’t cater to my needs. For example, I can’t do push-ups or lat exercises easily. I can’t sit upright without support as I have a curvature of my spine, no core strength, and struggle with balance. Even something as simple as a belt to support my back and a trolley to move the dumbbells around would make a difference.”
Daniel Nimz, a sports science expert who works with PwDs says there is no standardised curriculum in most certification programmes on how to train people with physicial challenges. “This becomes clear when dealing with cases such as paraplegia or quadriplegia, where a person’s body may lean asymmetrically or deteriorate without the right intervention.”
Trainers rarely assess factors such as wheelchair fit, he adds. “In the UK, inclusivity criteria are built into training; something we need to replicate to make fitness spaces accessible.”
GCC is planning three more similar gyms. “Many reached out expressing interest in setting up similar gyms across the city,” says GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran. Though public parks such as Kotturpuram Infinity Park and Santhome Park do offer basic accessible exercise equipment, they are not enough, Sathish says. “Real change starts when it’s built into the design.”
English (US) ·