Simple measures, such as angling the equipment so John Lynch, manager of vocational
that the weight stacks all face the wall and the seats skills, who has been with the college for The college will
are all angled to the walkway, also help ensure ease over seven years, adds: “By using exactly have touch-screens
of use for the students – this allows easier wheelchair the same equipment for both disabled with schematic
access and also helps the visually-impaired, as they get and non-disabled users, we can offer diagrams showing
used to the equipment ‘patterns’, always going about our learners a realistic transition into the location of
approaching the kit and sitting down in the same way. their local gym once they return home each piece of
Centre manager Chris Combe explains: “When we from here. This imbues them with the fi tness equipment
began to research equipment, we visited a variety of confi dence and self-belief they will need
facilities with two of our visually-impaired staff. Colour to thrive in everyday life.”
contrast and tactile buttons are two vital aids on the Features in the new centre include tactile
equipment that we chose. We didn’t want to have two landmarks on the stairwells, fl oors and skirting to
styles of equipment at the centre, one for disabled aid navigation, as well as tactile entry-points and full
and the other for non-disabled, as integration of our wheelchair accessibility.
students with the local community is a key goal. In addition, the college will be introducing a touch-
“We want to create a model of excellence for screen computer system, called T3, which will offer
working with the blind and partially-sighted and people schematic diagrams of the building and, eventually, of
with other disabilities. If we have members who aren’t each piece of fi tness equipment in the centre. This
confi dent in a gym environment, we can exercise with new system is designed to make use of the facility,
them in our smaller training gym initially and then, and also of the equipment, as simple as possible –
when they feel more comfortable and able to make helping cognitively-impaired individuals, for example,
the change, they can be introduced to the main gym to to navigate their way around the centre and be as
work out alongside the other members.” independent as possible in their workout.
september 2009 © cybertrek 2009 Read Health Club Management online 37
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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