LONDON, Ontario — We all know how important it is for everyone to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. We should take more walks, join a team, become a gym member, all in effort of improving both our physical and mental health. But how easy is it to access some of the traditional paths to activity and sport if you are a person with physical, developmental, or mental health concerns? Add to that the complications of a global pandemic, and the needs of those with disabilities could easily get lost. However, Hutton House, a registered charity in London that facilitates the goals and aspirations of adults with disabilities, has developed an accessible means for their participants to stay active during this past year of disruptions. Tami Clark, the Fitness Facilitator with Hutton House, has been running online fitness classes over the past year, for those who face a wide variety of challenges.

“I had been working in Employment Services with Hutton House for a number of years, but when this position in fitness opened up, I was very excited to apply. I have a passion for fitness, having run numerous marathons and half-marathons over the last decade, and wanted to share that passion with the community we serve here at Hutton House.”

Right now, Tami runs four classes per day via Zoom, with up to 10 people participating in each one. The participants come to the classes with a wide variety of abilities; some may be in a wheelchair, others have developmental disabilities, while some may have learning disabilities. Tami constructs the workouts to be scalable so that anyone can participate. This can be one of the biggest challenges to her role—coming up with new and varied workouts every five weeks that are accessible to people of all abilities. “We also provide fitness training to a large number of individuals who participate in Special Olympics,” notes Tami. “We currently work with one young lady who has been invited to participate in the upcoming games in Russia in the sport of speed skating. She is so excited to compete at the next level of sport.” With the classes on Zoom, many of the participants are excited to see one another, and there is an element of social connection that occurs as well, allowing for the mind-body connection to engage.

It is the small success stories that keeps Tami inspired in her job.

“One participant who has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair had started attending our online classes last June or July after a period of inactivity. After a few months she joined us for her usual class, and shared with everyone her excitement that she had gotten up and out of bed that morning and beat her boyfriend to the coffee maker. Witnessing the sheer pride in these participants as they are able to more easily function within their day-to-day lives because of their increased activity is what brings me joy.” She loves that every day, her fitness coaching helps others stay active, feel strong, and finish a class with a sense of pride and accomplishment. “Many participants do not take life for granted, and they often show joy in accomplishments that may seem miniscule to others. It really puts life in perspective for me, and reminds me that it is the small things that matter everyday.”

Tami believes that when the fully-equipped gym is re-opened at Hutton House as COVID precautions allow, there will still be a demand for online fitness classes.

“There is no doubt that providing online services allows us to have a greater reach and give more people access to fitness training. Everyone should have access to fitness for the benefit of both their physical and mental health. All of these components of wellness are interdependent and contribute to a healthy society, and the services we provide are some of the best examples of reducing ableism in the sport and fitness community.”

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