People with disabilities are largely unserved or underserved in programs of health promotion and physical activity. This situation is particularly problematic as they are often more vulnerable to the development of secondary conditions such as obesity, pain, social isolation, deconditioning and depression due to insufficient participation in key health promoting behaviors. The CHP believes that investing resources in empowering people with disabilities...

To read more about CHP, click here.

The winners for the NCPAD Video Contest have been selected! People with disabilities turned in great videos answering the question "How do you get enough?" physical activity. Entrants showed how they swam, danced, cycled, biked, climbed, played sports such as basketball, bowled, painted, and much more. The winning videos not only spoke to the disability audience but also included a broader audience of those without disabilities. Most importantly, they inspired others to become more physically active.

For more information about the NCPAD Video Contest, click here.

Carolyn Lullo, MS, PhD Candidate, is currently a Graduate Assistant at the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) and a Doctoral Candidate in the Disability Studies Program within the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She holds a bachelors degree from Miami University where she majored in Exercise Science and a masters degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Kinesiology (concentration in exercise physiology).  During her time at the CHP, she has had the opportunity to work on several of the projects, including NCPAD, RERC RecTech, IFC, HEZ, and PEPRx.  She is particularly interested in (1) factors that influence the health and health behaviors of individuals with disabilities, from the intrapersonal to the policy levels and (2) effective and innovative ways of promoting healthy behaviors in this population.

For her dissertation research, Carolyn is evaluating NCPAD’s 14-Week Program to a Healthier You, a web-based program that promotes physical activity and healthy eating for people with disabilities through interactive tools and resources that emphasize both motivation and education.  The innovative nature of the program and paucity of research on the use of such programs among people with disabilities make this research a timely and valuable contribution to the field of health promotion for this population.  She will be exploring questions related to the use and effectiveness of the program using mixed methods research (web surveys and phone interviews) across four measurement time points (pre, mid, post, and follow-up).  The findings from this study will inform the development of similar programs in the future and expand our understanding of innovative and effective means of improving health behaviors for people with disabilities. 

Learn more about NCPAD’s 14-Week Program to a Healthier You at www.ncpad.org/14weeks.

NCPAD’s 14-Week Program to a Healthier You!

In response to common barriers associated with physical activity that individuals with disabilities often experience, NCPAD has created a free, personalized, web-based physical activity and nutrition program specifically for people with mobility limitations, chronic conditions and physical disabilities. The program is specifically designed to deliver content based on the needs, abilities and interest of each individual. After registering for the program, participants receive:

• New, personalized weekly exercises
• Physical activity and nutrition tips
• Motivational resources
• Weekly recipes
• Features to help track physical activity and nutritional intake
• Optional reminders and alerts
• Opportunities to connect with other participants
• Access to 14-Week coaches

To join NCPAD's 14 Week Plan to a Healthier You! go to http://www.ncpad.org/14weeks/.

The Inclusive Fitness Coalition recently launched a workgroup on policy. The IFC policy working group will focus on a comprehensive initiative to advance systemic change for individuals with disabilities through a coordination of policy, advocacy and education efforts.

The Policy Workgroup’s core issue for 2011 will be to address the barriers inhibiting children and youth with disabilities from participating in sport and physical activity programs.

For youth to develop into self-aware, civically engaged, contributing members of society, they require equal access to resources that will enable them to feel safe, healthy and included. Youth with disabilities, however, are consistently excluded from participating in mainstream society and fully accessing these resources. Many individuals with disabilities would tell you that their exclusion is due to:

• physical and attitudinal barriers
• stigma and stereotypes
• a chronic lack of opportunity

Although society has significantly improved the treatment and inclusion of individuals with disabilities since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, people with disabilities are still facing pervasive inequities in physical activity programs and sports programs, particularly in our educational institutions. Comprehensive change is needed to address the systemic exclusion and discrimination students with disabilities face specifically in regards to physical activity opportunities and resources for sports participation.

2011 Policy Objectives:

• To educate parents, students, and coaches on the rights of people with disabilities pertaining to physical activity, physical education, and sport so that they can become local advocates for inclusion.
• To provide technical assistance to pre- and post-secondary administrators and leaders as well as non-school sport and physical activity providers so that they can develop internal policies and practices to improve compliance with the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act.
• To develop a national resource center of resources, trainings, model best practices, and technical assistance for increasing the participation of youth with disabilities (ages 8 – 22) in physical activity and sports.
  
  

Organizations and individuals who would like to take part in the Coalition activities are encouraged to join as members.

Membership in the coalition is free. Link to membership application:

http://incfit.org/node/179

For more information about IFC, please visit http://www.incfit.org/

NCPAD Blog- Endless CapABILITIES

The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability launched its blog called Endless CapABILITIES in November 2010 in an effort to create an open forum where all things relating to disability and/or physical activity can be discussed honestly amongst consumers. Articles feature such topics as current news, facts, videos, opinions and personal stories in an effort to motivate and increase awareness. The mission of Endless CapABILITIES is to generate dialogue in an informal setting revolving around issues that are of interest to the community. To visit the NCPAD Blog, go to http://blog.ncpad.org/.

Universal Design and Health Promotion - Examination of Built Environment Instruments Addressing Health Promoting Behaviors

The UDHP project was a content review of the commonalities and disparities across existing built environment measurement tools which measure health promotion accessibility and community livability. This study identified subject domain content overlap across instruments, and which domains and instruments were sensitive to accessibility for people with disabilities and other constituent groups, or which required further modification. Information on instrument methodological features, including instrument development methods, research design, and psychometrics werew also provided. To read more, click here.

Yochai Eisenberg - Community Inclusion Index

Yochai Eisenberg, MUPP, is the Project Coordinator at the Department of Disability and Human Development at UIC for the project entitled “Building Health Empowerment Zones for People with Disabilities: Obesity and the Built Environment”. He received his Masters of Urban Planning and Policy degree from UIC and received his B.A in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mr. Eisenberg has worked in various capacities in the private, public and non-profit sectors doing urban planning and design.

As part of the Health Empowerment Zone Project, a new measure called the Community Inclusion Index (CII) is being developed.  This tool will allow disability and health professionals to examine the inclusivity of the programs, services and community infrastructure offered to local citizens in obesity prevention. The instrument measures a community’s ability to support healthy, active living among individuals with disabilities.  CII domains include the built environment (e.g., paths, sidewalks, transportation, fitness centers), social infrastructure (e.g., volunteer support), and health promotion programs/services offered in schools, workplace and the general community. Yochai Eisenberg, a project coordinator in the Center on Health Promotion for People with Disabilities at UIC, is currently developing the CII with input from experts in the disability field as well as the broader disability community. To read more, click here.

Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer (CIFT) Workshop

Officially sanctioned by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), this one-day workshop prepares individuals to become Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainers, an ACSM specialty certification. Contact ACSM directly at www.acsm.org/CIFT or 317-637-9200 to host an official CIFT workshop and discuss cost-sharing, CEUs and other details.

The CIFT is a fitness professional who assesses, develops and implements an individualized exercise program for persons with a physical, sensory or cognitive disability, who are healthy or have medical clearance to perform independent physical activity. For more information on the CIFT go to http://www.acsm.org/CIFT or http://www.ncpad.org and search CIFT.

CIFT Webinar Series

Presented by ACSM/NCPAD, this six-session webinar series (1.5 hours each) specifically prepares individuals for the CIFT exam. Individuals can sign up for a single session or for all six. CEUs are offered. More information on the webinar series can be found on the CIFT website at http://www.acsm.org/CIFT.

Disability Awareness Training

Two to four hours in length, this training discusses awareness and communication that is necessary for a fitness-professional but it is not necessarily specific to fitness or exercise. This training is useful for all fitness facility staff including front desk, administrative and more.

Other Trainings

Other than our most commonly requested trainings described here, we have trainings that are disability-specific and/or cover broader health promotion topics related to disability. To discuss these options, please contact a NCPAD Information Specialist at 800-900-8086.

NCPAD Inclusive Fitness Training

This training covers topic areas related to the CIFT, but is not specifically geared toward the CIFT exam nor is it officially-sanctioned by ACSM. A variety of formats can be used for the workshop based on your needs. Some variables to consider include length (1 or 2 days) and presentation style (hands-on or strictly didactic). There is no additional cost other than airfare and lodging for the presenters, of which there are typically two. We do ask that you recuit at least 50 attendees, and generally suggest at least 8 weeks of recruitment. This training, along with the other options described here, is not offered in a train-the-trainer model.

James H. Rimmer (2011). Obesity and Overweight Prevalence Among Adolescents With Disabilities. Preventing Chronic Disease,8(2),1-6.

James H. Rimmer (2011). Promoting Inclusive Community-Based Obesity Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities: The Why and How.  Childhood Obesity, 7(3), 177-184.

James H. Rimmer (2011). Building a Future in Disability and Public Health. Disability and Health Journal 4, 6-11.

K Yamaki, JH Rimmer, BD Lowry, LC Vogel (2011). Prevalence of obesity-related chronic health conditions in overweight adolescents with disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(1):280-8.