Policies include laws, regulations, rules, protocols and procedures designed to guide or influence behavior and can either be legislative or organizational in nature. Examples of policies that might impact the inclusivity of your fitness facility or services include staff training requirements, protocols to maintain equipment, organizational rules for storing equipment to maintain accessible paths of travel, and photos on websites or blogs that include alt (alternative) text.

While most fitness center staff may not have an opportunity to affect legislative policy, they often can play an important role in their organizational policies. Every organization should have policies around disability inclusion and accessibility. Without proper policies in place, an organization’s commitment to inclusion may waver through the years or with different leadership.

To ensure adequate representation, organizational hiring policies should include priority given to those with the lived experience of having a disability. This is especially important in the fitness space, as people with disabilities have often been left out. Organizational policies should also be made regarding the accessibility of all social media posts. We recommend that one in four posts have a message and/or image of inclusion.

Ensuring that all staff are trained in disability education is another great policy. Accessible documents, training and equipment purchases should all be included in policies to ensure people with disabilities have access to your facility. Remember, creating a policy around a particular element of inclusion ensures that the criteria are followed from year to year and often helps put some funding behind the practice.

Inclusion Solutions

The policy solutions may vary depending on the fitness center. Guidelines and policies around hiring practices, universal design, accessible paths of travel, and training ensure your services can be available for all individuals, including those with a disability. A fitness center may choose to create a policy around accessible documents that ensures that everything sent out to their members is readable by, and relatable to, the consumer. Another policy could be established concerning their marketing and social media content, ensuring they have representation of individuals with a disability in their plans. Whichever policies your facility chooses to implement, it is important to review them yearly to make sure they remain relevant.

Resources

• Lakeshore Foundation 
• Best Practices for Accessible and Inclusive Communications

Check out this blog to learn more about Lakeshore Foundation and Serving Clients with Disabilities. And, be sure to read Parts 1 through 4 of this series:

1. The Built Environment 
2. Inclusive Instruction 
3. Inclusive Fitness Instruction 
4. Equipment and Technology