RESNA Standards Committee On Inclusive Fitness
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07 October 2025
The next meeting of RESNA Standards Committee on Inclusive Fitness will be held 13 October 2025, virtually using Zoom, at 8:00 am PDT. Virtual meeting call-in information will be distributed prior to the meeting. This meeting will confirm interest category changes, discuss outreach, and review the current status of RESNA IF-1, Secs. 1–3. Meetings are open to anyone; voting on documents requires membership.
The RESNA Standards Committee on Inclusive Fitness last met virtually using Zoom on 13 May 2024. Six people participated in this meeting and reviewed the interest group categories and the results of the Review and Comment ballot on RESNA IF-1 Sec. 4. There was also discussion about a future Review and Comment on RESNA IF-1, Secs. 1 through 3, the steps required for publishing Sec. 4, the website publishing of resources, and committee outreach.
The goal of the committee is to develop standards and/or guidelines to assist fitness facility operators, trainers, and staff members increase the accessibility of their fitness environment, including layout, equipment, and programming for people of all abilities. RESNA is a standards developing organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The RESNA Assistive Technology Standards Board is the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ANSI for the development of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards pertaining to assistive technology and other products for persons with disabilities.
It is important to the work of the committee that we have participating members from various aspects of expertise in the field of exercise. This includes Academia Research, Consumers/Caregiver/Advocates, Government, Fitness Facility Staff/Trainers, Fitness Equipment Manufacturers, Research & Development, and Test Labs, Testing Assessment & Clinical Experts. To become a member, please visit www.resna.org/AT-Standards/Inclusive-Fitness to go the Standards Membership section, and download the member form for the committee.
If you have any questions about the work of this committee or how to get involved, please contact Stephanie Stephens at stephanie@beneficialdesigns.com for additional information.
Meetings are open to anyone; voting on documents requires membership. Each standards committee is required to maintain a balance in membership. Anyone is welcome to join the committee, and we are especially looking for fitness equipment manufacturers and government representatives. If you are interested in participating, please contact one of the committee officers.
Officers
Theresa Crytzer
Duquesne University
Rangos School of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy
crytzert@duq.edu
This new committee will develop guidelines and/or technical reports to: (1) disclose standards, guidelines, and certifications that are currently available to the fitness industry to provide non-discriminatory access for people with disabilities, and (2) develop inclusive access marks to identify fitness facilities and fitness equipment in mainstream facilities that meet access requirements for people with disabilities. This will allow people with disabilities to easily identify fitness facilities, trainers, and accessible equipment that meet their specific needs. These standards will increase the opportunities of family and friends of people with disabilities to participate in exercise activities together and will help fitness facility operators, trainers, and staff members to identify materials that are available to them in order to make their fitness environment, including layout, equipment, and programming, more universally accessible to people of all abilities, including those with a disability.
Inclusive Fitness Guidelines will improve accessibility for all persons, regardless of their abilities and will educate people on the standards available, including the accessible fitness equipment standards just passed through ASTM, the fitness facility layout standards being developed through NSF International and guidelines available through the US Access Board, and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)/National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer certification.
If you would like more information on how you can participate, please contact a committee officer.