Introduction
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) secures equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities. Title III of the ADA applies to public accommodations in particular, which are private entities that are open to the public, including fitness centers. Thus, the intent of the ADA is that people of all abilities be able to access all public accommodations, including fitness centers, and engage in use of all membership benefits equally, including access to the fitness equipment. While there is some commercially available fitness equipment that is specifically designed to be accessible to people with disabilities, research indicates that the cost is substantially higher than similar equipment produced for the general population. The increased costs of such equipment combined with the perceived smaller population of potential clientele using it result in few public or private fitness centers having such equipment. The impact of the increased equipment costs is further magnified by the decreased economic resources available to people with disabilities. As specialized equipment is neither cost-effective nor consistent with the broad spirit of the ADA, there is a clear and urgent need for accessible fitness equipment that can be used by people with disabilities. A crucial first step toward meeting this goal is the development of appropriate standards for inclusive or universally designed fitness equipment.
This fact sheet was last updated on 11-18-2007.
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