Welcome to GYM-SPARC
Helping Young Adults with Disability Thrive at the Gym
The GYM-SPARC project has created educational resources specifically designed for fitness trainers, gym owners and health professionals who are interested in improving the gym experience for young adults with a disability.
A project funded by VicHealth in partnership with La Trobe University, GYM-SPARC provides fitness professionals with practical advice to better support the environmental challenges people with disability face when it comes to exercise.
-
At GYM-SPARC we are on a mission to increase participation and social inclusion for young people with disability in local gyms across Australia.
-
About 1 in 10 young Australians aged 18 to 35 years live with a disability. They are more likely to experience chronic physical and mental health issues than their peers without disability.
Our research shows young adults with disability understand the benefits of exercise but environmental barriers prevent them from participating. They also want to exercise in community settings such as gyms.
However, only 1.2 - 2.1% of young people with a disability exercise in gyms (AusPlay, National sport and physical activity participation report - June 2023, Australian Sports Commission - www.ausport.gov.au)
-
Exercising in the gym is fun, motivating and builds confidence in young adults with disability when they can exercise with the support of another person who understands them and their disability.
Nearly 95% of young adults with disability who commenced a twice weekly 12-week supported exercise program (FitSkills) completed the program. Even young adults with complex disability can exercise in the gym with extra support and training from specialist physiotherapists.
By making a few small changes in how you approach and welcome clients with a disability, gyms can build your personal client base, increase gym memberships, further the knowledge and training of the gym staff and help improve the health and wellbeing of people in your local community.
Scroll down to learn more about social support strategies ↓
8 Ways to Help Young Adults with Disability get the most out of their Gym session
Backed by research, these social support strategies may assist young adults with disability get the most out of their gym experience.
Young adults with disability benefit from social supports strategies to facilitate their participation in community gyms.
Not every young adult with disability is the same and every gym has its own unique environment. Social supports should consider an individual’s needs and individual gym context.
Sharing knowledge about what social support strategies can be used with gym staff is important in facilitating inclusion of young adults with disability in community gyms.
Learn about these strategies:
Our partners
Lived Experience
Our research could not happen without the individual and collective contributions of those with lived experience of neurodivergence, and those who love and care for them.
We acknowledge and value their unique expertise. Their perspectives are crucial to our mission to enrich the lives of Autistic people, their families and their carers through high-quality scientific research, innovation and translation and our vision for a world where Autistic people, their families and their carers thrive.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge that we work on the unceded lands of many traditional Indigenous custodians in Victoria and across Australia.
We recognise their ongoing connection to the land and value their unique contribution to our research, and to wider Australian society.
We pay our respects to Elders past and present and thank them for their ongoing care of this beautiful country’s land, skies, and waterways.
Diversity
We are committed to embracing diversity and eliminating all forms of discrimination. We welcome all people irrespective of neurotype, ethnicity, lifestyle choice, faith, sexual orientation or gender identity.
