Exercising regularly is a challenge for many, but even more so for people with disabilities.
A study at UBC Okanagan has been looking at barriers to keeping fit that are faced by those living with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
With the help of federal funding, researcher Kathleen Martin Ginis has been looking at how to get people with spinal cord injuries more involved in sport and exercise.
Ginis said people with SCI are being ignored.
“I hear too many times of people with SCI and other disabilities coming to fitness centres and being turned away because the staff say we don’t know what to do with you. And that’s no excuse,” she said.
Ginis said doctors sometimes discourage those with SCI from being physically active because they’re not sure what to prescribe.
With her research, funded by the federal goverment, she’s hoping to tear down some of those barriers.
Former Canadian paralympic athlete Sonja Gaudet is participating in the research project.