Report: Creating Welcoming Fitness Environments
As a Churchill Fellow, adaptive athlete, and wheelchair user, I travelled across Australia to learn from organisations, fitness professionals, and people with disabilities who are leading the way in inclusive fitness.
This report explores the physical, informational, social, and emotional barriers that can prevent people with disabilities from participating in fitness and physical activity, while highlighting practical solutions and examples of inclusion done well.
My aim is to share these learnings with the UK fitness sector and internationally, contributing to a future where accessibility, inclusion, and belonging are embedded throughout the fitness journey.
This report represents the first phase of my Churchill Fellowship research. The second phase, exploring best practices in the United States and Canada, will take place in 2026, with a follow-up report bringing together international insights and recommendations to be published in early 2027.
Download the Report
If you work in fitness, leisure, sport, health, disability inclusion, or policy, I encourage you to download and explore this report.
The report shares practical insights, real-world case studies, and actionable recommendations to help create more welcoming and inclusive fitness environments for people with disabilities.
Whether you are a gym operator, personal trainer, fitness professional, educator, or decision-maker, the report offers practical ideas that can be implemented immediately to improve accessibility, increase participation, create a genuine sense of belonging, and unlock the commercial opportunities that come from welcoming more people with disabilities into fitness and physical activity.
Inside the report, you will learn:
- How to embed accessibility and inclusion across the entire customer journey
- Why staff training and disability confidence are critical to success
- How inclusive environments can improve participation and member retention
- The role of representation, marketing and communications in making people feel welcome
- Practical examples and case studies from leading fitness and sports operators across Australia
- Actions fitness providers can take immediately to improve accessibility and inclusion
Download Report Briefing
Short on time?
This 12-page Report Briefing provides a snapshot of the key findings from the full report on disability inclusion in fitness environments. It highlights practical actions that gyms, leisure centres, fitness professionals, educators and industry leaders can take to create more accessible, inclusive and welcoming experiences for people with disabilities.
Support My Work
This report is free to read and share because I want disability inclusion in sport and fitness to feel practical, visible and actionable.