In 2009, Richard Thesing went to a fitness center. He wanted to use strength equipment to improve his golf game. He also wanted to use cardio equipment because his legs were swelling due to lack of movement which resulted in serious bacterial infections and numerous emergency room visits.
When he got to the fitness center there wasn't a single piece of cardio equipment that he could use. All the cardio equipment required the use of legs. Rich also couldn’t use the strength equipment: either he could not safely transfer to a fixed seat or he wasn’t able to reach the straps or bar (as shown in the picture above).
Rich then went to eight or nine fitness centers in his local area and found the same thing-- no exercise equipment that he could use. Rich expanded his search and went up and down the state of California, visiting over 50 fitness centers, and found the same lack of accessible exercise equipment.
The ADA gives persons with a disability the right of full participation in fitness centers and he decided to try to make that happen. The first thing Rich found out was that no equipment was available that meets the needs of persons with a disability. Serendipitously, an ASTM International standards committee had just been formed to develop Universal Design guidelines for inclusive exercise equipment. Rich joined the committee.
In August 2018, the ASTM committee finally finished its work and published design standards for inclusive exercise equipment. Now the effort begins to encourage manufacturers to make the equipment and then for fitness facilities to provide the equipment!