Upcoming: ASTM F08.30 Fitness Products Meeting

Posted on April 18, 2012 by admin | Permalink 0

The F08.30 Fitness Products Inclusive Fitness task group was formed to further develop standards for fitness equipment design through ASTM F08.30 Fitness Products (see F08.30 Fitness Products Scope below). The focus of this work is to facilitate access to mainstream fitness equipment to a wider range of the population across all abilities (see WK19803 Scope below).

This work is being done in conjunction with the work that Beneficial Designs, Inc. and the UK Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) started back in the early 2000’s. Beneficial Designs developed the draft Universal Design Fitness Equipment Guidelines for the United States through a National Institutes of Health Phase I grant, visit: www.beneficialdesigns.com/udgfe/index.html Read more »

ASTM Standards, Equipment Accessibility

DOJ Requires Public Fitness Facilities to Provide Accessible Equipment

Posted on February 8, 2012 by spadal3 | Permalink 0

The intent of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was to facilitate access for people with disabilities to public facilities, including participation in activities within the building structure. The new DOJ (Department of Justice) guidelines recently confirmed this intent by requiring public fitness facilities to provide accessible fitness equipment. Exercise is important and provides many of the same benefits for people with and without disabilities. Increase in activity level decreases secondary conditions and health costs often associated with disability. Affording people with disabilities the opportunity to exercise in public facilities, rather than specialized medical therapy settings, increases the social opportunity to interact with family members and friends. Read more »

Equipment Accessibility

Cygnet- A fun way to excercise while propelling wheelchair

Posted on December 2, 2011 by spadal3 | Permalink 0

Students at the Segal Design Institute, Northwestern University has designed a device called Cygnet. The Cygnet attaches to a wheelchair which makes the wheelchair propulsion  fun and also a good workout. Read more »

Equipment Design ,

ASTM November 2011 Committee week- Draft specification for Universal Design of Fitness Equipment

Posted on November 4, 2011 by spadal3 | Permalink 0

ASTM Draft Specification For Universal Design of Fitness Equipment for Inclusive Use by Persons with Functional Limitations and Impairments WK34535 was out for vote to ASTM F08.30 Fitness Product members from Sept. 15, 2011 – Oct 17, 2011. Comments from this vote will be discussed at the ASTM F08.30 Fitness Products meeting. Read more »

ASTM Standards, Equipment Accessibility, Equipment Design , ,

Virtual Exercise Partner Improves Motivation to Exercise

Posted on November 2, 2011 by spadal3 | Permalink 0

Can’t find anyone to exercise with? Don’t despair: New research from Michigan State University reveals working out with a virtual partner improves motivation during exercise.

The study led by Deborah Feltz, chairperson of MSU’s Department of Kinesiology, is the first to investigate the Kohler effect on motivation in health video games; that phenomenon explains why inferior team members perform better in a group than they would by themselves.

The research, to be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, was funded by a $150,000 grant from Health Games Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio.

“Our results suggest working out with virtually present, superior partners can improve motivation on exercise game tasks,” Feltz said. “These findings provide a starting point to test additional features that have the potential to improve motivational gains in health video games.” Read more »

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Department of Justice Response for Proposed Rulings for Fitness Equipment

Posted on August 25, 2011 by spadal3 | Permalink 0

Over the past years individuals with disabilities have expressed concerns about the inability to use exercise equipment and furniture in health clubs, fitness centers, public recreation centers, and other establishments that offer exercise facilities. In response to these concerns, the Department of Justice sought public input in January 2011 on issues relating to possible revisions of ADA regulations which would ensure the accessibility of related fitness equipment and furniture. The Department also sought background information for the regulatory assessment needed to revise the ADA regulations.

Beneficial Designs, in conjunction with the RERC on Recreation Technology (RecTech), is currently working on a standard for Universally Designed Fitness Equipment. A summary of the comments submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for best practices are provided below: Read more »

Equipment Accessibility, Equipment Design , ,

How to stabilize the wheelchair while working out at the Fitness Facility?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by admin | Permalink 0

Use of fitness equipment is important to individuals of all abilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation must be made to enable users of all abilities to access any equipment in a fitness facility. However, certain precautions must be made by individuals using mobility devices in order to prevent instability and loading hazards. These issues should be taken into consideration, not only by the users themselves, but also by fitness equipment designers and fitness facility management.

The use of fitness equipment by individuals using mobility devices may cause rearward, forward, or lateral instability, in addition to overload problems.
Read more »

Equipment Design , , ,

Using Color Contrast to Enhance Fitness Equipment Accessibility

Posted on May 23, 2011 by spadal3 | Permalink 0

The US Access Board’s ADAAG guidelines specify rules and recommendations in order to make facilities more accessible to people of all abilities.  One such guideline for signage specifies that there be 70% contrast between characters and their background in order to make them readable for people with vision impairments.

Applying the principle of these guidelines to fitness equipment, our goal is to make the signage and elements of universally designed fitness equipment more accessible to people with vision impairment.  For example, a yellow weight pin contrasts black weights better than a dark gray weight pin contrasts against black weights.  By measuring the light reflectance value (LRV), or the lightness of an object on a scale from black to white, we are able to measure and calculate the color contrast between characters and their background or two elements. Read more »

Equipment Accessibility , , ,

A Step-Up for Healthy Exercise

Posted on May 12, 2011 by admin | Permalink 0

For some, using an elliptical trainer is a difficult task. Most elliptical machines are built for people of average height, allowing them to easily reach handle-bars and push pedals forward without unnecessary strain. But for a Chicago resident with cerebral palsy and a height of X, trying to reach the handle bars and push the pedals simultaneously was both ineffective and unsafe.  She experienced strain in her legs and had difficulty keeping her feet positioned firmly on the pedals.  She needed a safer means to exercise and thus became a client to the student design and engineering team at Northwestern.
Read more »

Equipment Design ,

Virtual Games Help Stroke Patients Recover!

Posted on May 12, 2011 by admin | Permalink 0

A study of 12 programs in which people recovering from stoke were provided with home-based electronic games designed to increase upper arm strength and mobility show that virtual reality games (such as those offered by Wii and Playstation) are useful tools to increase motivation for exercise, motor improvement and motor recovery after a stroke. Read more »

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