After receiving feedback from its members, local charity Autism Bedfordshire teamed up with Fusion Lifestyle to trial an autism-friendly gym session.
Sessions are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at Fusion Lifestyle’s Kempston Pool Site gym and are expected to give members the confidence to be more active.
The trial began after Autism Bedfordshire’s engagement team asked local adults with autism what difficulties they had in accessing local services and organizations.
Their feedback indicated that many members had sensory issues.
“We reached out to Fusion Lifestyles to see if we could have some quiet time inside the gym to make the facility more accessible for people with autism and sensory needs,” he said. said Heather Wildsmith, co-creator and engagement lead at Autism. Bedfordshire.
“People with autism often experience differences in their sensory systems, which can lead to sensory overload and make it difficult or impossible to process the information they receive.
“This prevents members of the autism community from participating in events and social activities that most people take for granted, which can lead to feelings of social isolation.
“This initiative at Fusion Lifestyle will allow more people to feel welcome and confident to access the gym.”
A quiet session was trialled at the Kempston Pool site on Tuesdays and Thursdays in January from 10am to 3pm and was organized by Andrew Holland of Kempston Pool in partnership with Autism Bedfordshire.
“By introducing quiet gym sessions, we are taking an important step towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for the autism community,” said Andrew.
“I hope these sessions provide a place where everyone is safe, accepted and empowered to reach their full potential, regardless of their individual needs.”
Autism Bedfordshire was founded in 1991 by a small group of parents who are passionate about helping children with autism and is the county’s only professional service to help adults and children with autism. We have grown into a volunteer organization.
Autism Bedfordshire supports adults in Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes and Hertfordshire. For more information, please visit this website.
