Universal Design Guidelines for Fitness Equipment
Fitness accessibility for all users
Project
Summary
Why Universal Design Guidelines for Fitness Equipment
Think about people who have different fitness abilities,
such as:
-
People who are unfit or have very limited strength
-
People who are unfit or have very limited endurance
-
People who have limited balance or coordination
-
People who have limited vision
-
People who find learning new tasks or appropriate
behaviors difficult
-
People who may behave differently or have different
customs
-
People who have difficulty speaking or speak a different
language
How could fitness equipment be designed or changed so that
all of these people could exercise regularly and
independently?
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Project
Outcomes:
- Summarize the issues and concerns related to universal design fitness equipment for three stakeholder groups
(equipment manufacturers, exercise professionals, people with disabilities).
- Create universal design guidelines for aerobic and strength training equipment.
- Outline the feasibility and cost-benefit of universal design fitness equipment.
- Create templates for incorporating universal design principles into existing equipment.
- Develop a consumer identification label so that universal design equipment is easily recognized.
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What is Universal Design?
- A philosophy of design that considers the needs of all potential users
- Designs that are suitable for as many users as possible
- Flexible enough to meet the needs of people with different fitness abilities
The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, or the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities. The seven principles of universal design are:
- Equitable use.
- Flexibility in use.
- Simple and intuitive use.
- Perceptible information.
- Tolerance for error.
- Low physical effort.
- Size and space for approach and use.
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Benefits of Universal Design
Universal design provides a wide variety of benefits. For
fitness equipment manufacturers these benefits include:
- Increased market size
- Wider customer base
- Captive market
- Decreased equipment costs
- Increased equipment use
- Wider range of equipment
- Decreased staff assistance
- Decreased staff training
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Funding
- Phase 1
Project
funding provided by the National Institutes of Health,
National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research,
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
Accessible Health Promotion and Fitness for Persons with
Disabilities Small Business Innovation Research, Grant #1
R43 HD049236-01.
Funding
- RERC through University of Illinois Chicago
RERC
Project Title:
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on
Recreational Technologies and Exercise Physiology Benefiting
Individuals with Disabilities (RERC RecTech) Award number:
H133E070029 National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research
ASTM Links
Committee F08 on Sports Equipment and Facilities
Home
Page
ASTM WK988 -
New Standard Test Method for Fitness Equipment
Join ASTM to participate in the development of the
Standard Guide for Universal Fitness Equipment Design for
use by People with and without Disability.
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