One of the most significant industry-wide impacts made to date by the IFI is the development of inclusive fitness equipment. Since the IFI’s inception, the project has strived to ensure that fitness equipment suppliers address the needs of disabled users. The provision of inclusive fitness equipment has always critically underpinned the IFI’s activities and remains one of the project’s key strands. The fundamental requirement for the IFI is provision of a range of fitness equipment that will allow disabled and non-disabled people to benefit from a full body, cardiovascular and resistance based workout, using the same equipment, at the same time and in the same way.
Over the past eight years, through development of close working relationships with many major fitness equipment manufacturers, the IFI has encouraged and practically supported the uptake of inclusive design principles. Prior to the intervention of the IFI equipment designers and manufacturers rarely considered the requirements of disabled people, even less so consulted with them. Through working with the IFI many of these suppliers are now considered world leaders in providing inclusive, accessible equipment, widening the potential reach of fitness operators to provide a more equitable and profitable service. Those who have taken up the challenge of inclusive design now hold a major competitive advantage in UK, European and wider international markets as the impact of the IFI spreads increasingly globally.
Why Offer Inclusive Equipment?
In the UK, fitness facility operators have a requirement to meet the needs of disabled people and deliver an equitable service under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 & 2005. Installing a range of IFI Accredited equipment will help to illustrate that an organisation is working towards meeting their legislative requirements. The IFI believes however, that legislation should not be used as the sole driver for an inclusive provision. The commercial viability of the disability market carries unquestionable merits. Across Europe there are 50 million disabled people with an estimated 10.8 million disabled adults in the UK alone - representing 22% of the total population. With only 8.8% of disabled people being regularly physically active in England the opportunities for the fitness industry to reap the benefits of expanding their participant demographic are clearly apparent.
