Student develops open gym sessions for those with disabilities

Megan Petrik got her first experience working with individuals with disabilities as a fitness assistant in the adapted fitness class taught by Tim Gattenby in the Department of Kinesiology.

“On the surface, this experience taught me how to assist individuals who need adaptations while exercising,” says Petrik, a senior in psychology. “More importantly, this experience opened my eyes to an entirely different standard of living and broke down my fears and stereotypes toward individuals with disabilities.”

The class introduced her to “an environment that altered my perceptions of what it is like to live as a person with a disability in an able-bodied society,” and sparked the recognition that “physical activity is an important part in achieving a healthier and happier lifestyle, especially for individuals with a disability.”

Inspired by the strength and determination of the clients, Petrik developed a successful proposal for a Leadership Trust Award aimed at expanding opportunities at UW–Madison for individuals with disabilities.

Each year, the Leadership Trust Award provides up to two students in the College of Letters and Science with awards equal to two semesters of resident, full-time tuition plus up to $3,000 to develop and implement projects designed to improve the university community and/or student body. To learn more about the Leadership Trust Award, visit http://www.honors.ls.wisc.edu.

Petrik proposed to offer open gym sessions for individuals with disabilities at the Gymnasium/Natatorium — led by a trained student and staffed by practicum students and volunteers — approximately three times a week at convenient evening and weekend time periods. The gym is open to UW–Madison faculty, staff and students with disabilities, as well as community members who register as guest or special students — the same group of individuals served by Gattenby’s classes.

“This program will benefit all parties involved,” Petrik says. “Students will gain hands-on experience, volunteer hours and hopefully a new outlook on disabilities. The clients will improve their physical health and increase their independence.”

During the summer, Petrik made preparations to launch the program this fall.

She intends to use a large portion of her funding to buy adapted equipment. “As of now, there are a limited number of adapted fitness machines available on campus. Larger machines will make exercise possible without direct assistance, so clients would be able to work independently as well. While the grant could not buy an entire gym full of equipment, a few larger pieces could expand services greatly.”

Gattenby has no budget for equipment, so his classes rely on the regular equipment available in the Gym/Nat facility. As much as possible, he tries to have clients use the regular equipment. Gifts have funded the purchase of a few adapted pieces, and engineering students have created pieces of custom equipment as projects.

Developing this area has been a personal passion for Gattenby, who is delighted that students like Petrik are inspired.

Gattenby found his inspiration as a student doing a service project: an aqua- therapy program for people with multiple sclerosis. He ran the program for eight years and made adapted physical activity his specialty.

Being temporarily laid up from a sky-diving accident during this period gave him an additional perspective on the challenge that people with disabilities face. He notes, “Sometimes a diagnosis strips people of hope. There ought to be ways to keep up people’s hope.”

For many disabled people at UW–Madison and in the surrounding community, Gattenby’s classes have provided hope that, despite disabilities, they can lead more active lives. “My classes fill to capacity every semester,” he notes, adding that he can’t accommodate everyone who wants in.

Petrik credits Gattenby’s current adapted fitness classes for starting to address this need, but she adds, “The reality is that the waiting list for the adapted fitness class is so long that hundreds of people are turned away every semester.” The open gym will offer expanded opportunities for clients being served a couple of times a week in Gattenby’s classes, as well as for others who currently aren’t being served at all.

Petrik’s grant will allow the expanded services to be offered for the 2006-07 academic year. She and Gattenby are hoping that the experience, supported by data they plan to gather, will lead to more permanent offerings.