02/03/2024
Gyms make things so difficult for people with disabilities who have experienced.
My experiences, my challenges, and my fitness goals. For me, exercising is a very personal thing. I like to learn to exercise and let my mind wander on a cardio, or when lifting weights. I keep very active, I am less likely to be depressed or anxious and more likely to feel good about myself. And this can be even more pivotal for those with hear and sight loss. I think that more than like four in 10 people attending low-vision clinics had symptoms of clinical depression. But inaccessible hurdles leave lots of visual impaired people unable to use the gym to its maximum potential. It's no surprise that 31% of deaf and blind people felt moderately or completely cut off from people and things around them, and 50% felt they were frequently limited and difficult in the activities they could take part in. Yet nearly I said they would like to do more mental, emotional, and physical activity.
If, like me, you want to keep fit and healthy, your first port of call is usually your local gym or health club. However, if, like me, you are also deaf and/or blind, keeping active can be a minefield of inaccessible technology, awkward conversations and frustrating barriers. And mine is hardly a rare issue: more than around two million people in America are living with hear and/or sight loss, and the health information predicts this will double by happening in 2050.
For the people with disability can do their own working out and keeping healthy works best when it's also fun, so if you are struggling to keep to an exercise schedule, try something a little bit different, such as paddle boarding or boxing, or take part in a group activity or challenge, to give you that bit of motivation you need. We all live busy lives, but I learned that it is easier than you think to fit exercises into your daily routine. And if there are any gyms or health clubs out there that want pointers on how to be more accessible, or any people who want to talk about exercise, working out or keeping active, I am always happy to help and talk.
I understand it often involves feelings of fear of being judged based on one's level