Want to Work With The Disabled? There’s A Certification For That!

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  • Want to Work With The Disabled? There’s A Certification For That!

Inclusiveness means everyone

If you want to train disabled people or your fitness club could grow by catering to special populations as a market niche, there’s a certification that enables you to do just that. It’s the Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer (CIFT) certification, which was developed by the American College of Sports Medicine, in collaboration with the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability.

It’s about helping people

Disabilites
Disability Fitness

I’m sure you’d agree that, as a fitness trainer or gym owner, it never hurts to have additional tools in your toolbox. You really will benefit if you can cater to specific segments of the fitness market. It’s a competitive field and trainers and owners need to be able to stand out from the crowd.

From the perspective of the fitness center owner you want to be as inclusive as possible, to find as many clients as possible. And then there’s that dreaded word … compliance. In this case, the need to conform to government imposed regulation on accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Your business is ADA ready, right?

The provisions of Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act stipulate that you have to pay the cost of making your business accessible to people with disabilities just to open your doors, so why not be proactive and staff your gym with experts in the field?

The final point I want to make before I get to the point is that, if you are at all like me, then you got into fitness training to have a rewarding career as a leader of people as well as earn your daily bread. The more helpful you can be to the people who need help the most, the better right?

Special populations

The term special population covers a wide range of people. They can be seniors, survivors of cancer or other illnesses, people struggling to lose weight or those with some sort of physical, sensory or cognitive limitation, but who are otherwise fit. Special populations can be great additional market segments to pursue. However, you do pick up responsibilities and risks when you court special populations as markets.

Additionally, if you’re a fitness center owner then you are going to consider your facility in terms of resources and what sort of activities are going to fit your space. Whether you have a pool or floor space for group activities like yoga that is going to influence your decisions about what market to go after. You may want to market to seniors with low impact group activities and make that a featured service, if it suits your market and you’ve got the floor space for the classes.

NCHPAD + ACSM = CIFT

The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) works to initiate and coordinate health care program for people with disabilities. The concept of inclusiveness in health and fitness is something they’ve been working to promote nationwide.

They build local coalitions, information services and health communication networks in social media and develop guidelines to promote inclusive policies in the fitness community. That’s why they teamed up with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to create the (CIFT).

As an organization that provides exercise and sport science education goes, the ACSM is the largest in the world and they have a range of courses in addition to the CIFT. They provide certification for trainers and fitness instructors along with therapeutic, clinical and specialty certifications.

The CIFT certification

The partnership of these two dedicated organizations produced a very focused, in-depth certification for inclusive fitness training. This certificate is designed to help you work with people with a physical, sensory or cognitive disability.

The etiquette of working with disabilities is also taught. This gives trainers the social skills and sensitivity to work with clients in a way that communicates positive reinforcement and encouragement. It doesn’t sound like a big issue but people with disabilities struggle against stereotypes and frustrations that compound their physical challenges. For a trainer to connect, you have to have some insight into the experience.

Work with disabled is not for beginners

ACSM provides the syllabus and study resources including six 90 minute webinar lectures on the material. Certification is done by online examination through Pearson VUE and takes less than three hours to complete. The challenge lies in finding the time and discipline to complete the learning in preparation for the exam.

What makes CIFT a great option is that it’s an advanced qualification that can be promoted as career development for trainers and ensures that owners will have competent staff that can manage all liabilities and compliance issues. The CIFT exam is available for trainers who have already been certified by either the ACSM or the NCCA. It’s a prerequisite that you have attained at least personal trainer certification and current adult CPR certification.

There are lots of avenues for trainers to get specialized certification but CIFT is perhaps one of the most versatile. The intention is inclusion and support for most any client a trainer can conceivably encounter. For owners, having CIFT qualified trainers on site will make the business that much more competitive and help bring in those additional clients that will keep your gym buzzing.

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This blog originally published on Sept. 5, 2013 and has been revised Jan. 15, 2021

6 Comments

Lawrence Fagan
March 24, 2020

I would contact ACSM as they would probably have the most comprehensive information in this area as well as knowing if there are other certified trainers in your area that you would be able to consult. Thank you for reaching out and have a wonderful day!

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Brent Cromwell
March 4, 2020

Daniel,

I am a approaching my senior year in an Exercise Science and still trying to find out exactly what I am going to do when I graduate. I was going to go after my DPT but that changed after reality struck and realizing how much more schooling is involved after receiving my BA. I have recently took an interest into working with the physically disabled because I have always wanted to take my education and help people, and I feel there is nothing more rewarding then working with those that are less fortunate. However, I am not finding a whole lot of information about a personal trainer that works strictly with those with physical limitations, nor do I know if there is a gym/association in my area that works with this population. Only thing I have been able to find was what you mentioned about the ACSM having a CIFT certification, is there an other information that you may be able to provide because I really believe this is the path I’d like to pursue?

Daniel Stein
December 17, 2019

What comes to mind when you think of people with special needs? You probably think of those with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other physical and mental disorders. While this is indeed a large segment of the special needs population, it�s not all of it. It also includes seniors, those who are struggling with obesity, cancer treatment survivors, and others. It is not an easy to train special needs people. What you may or may not be aware of, is that there is a major need for those willing to become an ACSM Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer. American College of Sports Medicine working in collaboration with the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability created this certification specifically for those with a desire to help those with autism or who are otherwise disabled.

If you are ready to help others from your heart then it will be the best career option for you. As a special needs personal trainer I am so happy to help my special needs clients. I can see the smile on their face when they move forward in their life and defeat their disability.

Lawrence Fagan
May 18, 2017

There are all sorts of opportunities out there to work with this special population. Mostly, it is a matter of marketing yourself as being certified to work with these people. If your up for doing the footwork, like any entrepreneur, you will reap the benefits. A great place to start is introducing yourself to Dr’s offices which will get you started then word of mouth will be a large part of your clientele growth.

Meg
May 16, 2017

Did you ever get a reply for this? I want to do the same thing, but want to make sure it’s worth it and there are opportunities out there for it.

Hawley
June 13, 2015

I am considering becoming a personal trainer and want to work with the disabled.
But before taking the program I want to know how and where I can get jobs like this.

Comments are closed.