disability fi tness
Casey (left) is now a sought-after public speaker. The idea for her enterprise was hatched during her trek in India (right) We should also remember that 85
per cent of the one billion disabled people worldwide acquire that disability during their working lifetime. Anyone can become temporarily disabled through an accident, through mental health or an acquired disease, for example. Businesses need to adapt and provide for that. The economic crisis has also created
a great opportunity for the disability business case. Companies have to fi nd a way to distinguish themselves if they want a greater market share.
Are you optimistic about creating real change? The only thing that makes us the same is that we’re all different. If you go to a gym, for example, not everyone trains in the same way. People’s bodies are different, they think differently, move differently and have different potential. I believe we have the capacity as a
society to understand that difference and value it, and that’s going to emerge more in the next few years.
What importance do you attach to health and fitness? We’re increasingly fi nding from research that the extent to which you can cope with a disability and function better is down to how you much you exercise. If I wasn’t doing what I do now, I’m
actually fascinated by health and fi tness as a sector – it has the potential to have one of the most extraordinary infl uences on our lives. These businesses are constantly interacting with customers and their reach is hugely important. If they adopt an inclusive mindset, they have the potential to be real change-makers.
How physically active are you in your own life? I enjoy keeping fi t and train daily – at a gym or running outdoors. It’s a huge part of my life. Partially-sighted people often have problems with core stability, so exercise is important for my sight and balance. If I feel physically healthy, I feel
mentally healthy. When travelling, I won’t stay in a hotel that doesn’t have a gym.
When you’re confronted with
disability in your life and work, you realise that there’s a huge amount of discrimination around it. I didn’t have the answers for why that was, but I knew I wanted to be part of the solution
44
Can you offer any advice to health and fitness operators? While gyms may market fi tness and wellbeing for everyone – everyone does not mean everyone. It’s about asking individuals what they need or want. One club told me they discovered
some people weren’t taking up membership because they were dyslexic and couldn’t read the forms. In such a case, facilities could think about how information is displayed on their website – could they use videos instead of text to convey information? Gyms could also invite disabled
people from the local community to give feedback. The disability market is one of the most loyal market spaces. It’s an interesting dynamic: if you treat us well, our families will also support you.
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
How important is staff training in making a gym accessible? Very. I was at a large basement gym in London and wasn’t expecting it to be accessible. But the receptionist there had clearly been trained in disability awareness, from the way she helped me fi ll out the form to showing me around the gym fl oor and helping me exit the building. It wasn’t that the equipment was
necessarily accessible – it was the way that things were laid out and her particular attitude.
So what’s next for Kanchi? We’ve become one of the fi rst social franchises out of Ireland to go global. We’ve now licensed the rights to take the Ability Awards to Spain and then want to take them around the world: to begin with, two or three countries in Europe, two in Latin America and hopefully soon the UK.
And for Caroline Casey? As I step away from the business operationally, I’ll be involved more in developing strategic relationships. I do a lot of public speaking, am involved with the Clinton Global Initiative and am a fellow of Ashoka – a massive network of social entrepreneurs worldwide. I spend a lot of time seeking out the greatest points of infl uence so we can create change. Personally, I’m also taking a four- month leave of absence this summer
– to have an eye operation, take some rest, maybe start to think about writing a book. I’d love to see a global campaign
around disability and I have ideas around that. And after 12 years in business, it might be time to dust off my boots and start planning another adventure!
healthclub@leisuremedia.com julie cramer
june 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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