The DPQOL is working on a program aimed at creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment in campus recreation spaces and programming for university students living with disabilities. This study is sponsored by the Campus Research Board and is being performed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Previous research indicates that most university students with disabilities do not participate in adequate levels of physical activity and do not regularly use their campus recreation facilities. Many barriers to participation at recreation facilities have been identified by individuals with disabilities and fitness professionals alike, including equipment-related barriers, such as poor spacing of machines, and psychological barriers, such as the perception that fitness facilities are ‘unfriendly’ to individuals with disabilities. Additionally, recreation staff on university campuses typically do not receive any disability-focused training. This means that most of the staff lacks the knowledge necessary to assist or provide exercise instruction to students with disabilities, making their inclusion in existing programming challenging.

In order to create a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities within campus recreation, the DPQOL lab is developing the Campus Recreation Disability Inclusion Training (CREDIT), an online delivered training for patron-facing campus recreation staff members, including group fitness instructors, personal trainers, member services, and more! This training will help recreation staff members better understand how to support students with disabilities when they come into the facility or participate in programming through campus recreation. Additionally, resources within the facility will be updated and created to improve accessibility information within the recreation center.

First, the DPQOL lab conducted a facility accessibility assessment of the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) at UIUC to identify potential barriers to accessibility and inclusion for students with disabilities within the space. Next, we will be holding focus groups with key stakeholder groups, including 1) students with disabilities, 2) facility administrators, 3) patron-facing staff members, and 4) campus recreation “regulars”. These focus groups will provide us with specific insight into the barriers and facilitators to engaging students with disabilities at campus recreation facilities and programming, which in turn will be used in the development of the CREDIT program.

We are currently recruiting participants for stakeholder focus groups! Each focus group will meet via Zoom for an audio-recorded interview, which will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete. Participants will also be compensated for their participation.

Interested in participating?

We are looking for individuals that meet the following criteria:

Students with Disabilities:

Self-identify as having a disability (physical, mental, cognitive, etc.)
Current enrollment as a university student at UIUC (Summer 2023 OR Spring/Fall 2023)
Be ≥18 years old
Have access to the internet and an internet-capable device (smartphone tablet, computer)
Be able and willing to use Zoom video-conferencing software

Campus Recreation Facility Administrators:

Current employment at UIUC Campus Recreation
Work in a supervisory, administrative, or director position within Campus Recreation
Be ≥18 years old
Have access to the internet and an internet-capable device (smartphone tablet, computer)
Be able and willing to use Zoom video-conferencing software

Patron-Facing Campus Recreation Staff Members:

Current employment at UIUC Campus Recreation
Work in a patron-facing position at campus recreation (job includes direct interaction with patrons in some capacity)
This includes but is not limited to: member services, group fitness, personal trainers, aquatics, adventure recreation, instructional kitchen, etc.
Be ≥18 years old
Have access to the internet and an internet-capable device (smartphone tablet, computer)
Be able and willing to use Zoom video-conferencing software

Campus Recreation “Regular” Users:

Current enrollment as a university student at UIUC (Summer 2023 OR Spring/Fall 2023)
Uses campus recreation facilities and/or programs ≥ 1 time per week on average
Be ≥18 years old
Have access to the internet and an internet-capable device (smartphone tablet, computer)
Be able and willing to use Zoom video-conferencing software

If you are interested in participating or have questions regarding the CREDIT study, please reach out to us at dpqol-lab@illinois.edu!