Adapting Adapted Fitness for COVID-19

Join us for a deep dive into the world of adapted fitness with Jeff McGinnis and Judy Morrison of the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports in Philadelphia. Their mostly volunteer-driven organization meets people wherever they are physically and mentally to help them meet their fitness and wellness goals. They discuss ways the Center has had to adapt to the COVID-19 landscape and foray into virtual fitness classes for the first time, adaptations that have enabled the Center to increase the accessibility of their fitness classes to those who find it challenging to visit them in person. Listen in to learn more.

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Transcript

Intro: 0:03

Welcome to Disability Talks, a podcast produced by Abilities in Motion. I'm your host, Shelly Houser. Join us for real conversations and no nonsense talk from everyday people with disabilities living their most independent everyday lives. Tune in for the latest news surrounding disability, accessibility, and independence, where conversations aren't dissed and stories that need to be told aren't missed. So let's talk!

Shelly: 0:28

And welcome back to Disability Talks. I'm your host Shelly Houser, and today we are talking with the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our guests today are Jeff McGinnis and Judy Morrison. Welcome, folks,! Thanks for being on the show.

Judy: 0:45

Good morning. How are you?

Jeff: 0:47

Hello.

Shelly: 0:47

So, um, I wanted to learn a little bit more about Pennsylvania Adapted Sports in Philadelphia.

Jeff: 0:53

Sure. Uh, we, the, the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports is an outgrowth of two organizations that merged, um, the Philadelphia Adapted Rowing and then it was just called something like the Handicap-- Philadelphia Handicap Ski Club or something. And, um, uh, Isabel Bond was the person who, uh, was involved in both those organizations and she merged them, uh, to create the center so we can be more of a multi-service organization. And, uh, that was--So we started with those two foundational programs, and over the years we have, uh, added to the mix and maybe dropped some programs that weren't interesting and added more. So we're constantly sort of tweaking, you know, what the community wants. We try and be very responsive to, uh, what people are interested in and also to be innovative. And, you know, because we kind of have our pulse on what is happening in the adaptive sports community and wellness community. So we might add new programs that people aren't familiar with. And this is one of Judy, Judy Morrison's, uh big roles with us is to manage these programs and to, uh, you know, sort of, I wouldn't call it my whims, but my, my wish is to have something new or to adjust something and Judy, uh, you know, keeps these programs going and she's been, uh, you know, really, uh, highly engaged right now with COVID because like many programs we've had to become a different organization as far as our service delivery. And, uh, and Judy, a lot of that falls on Judy's shoulders to do.

Shelly: 2:26

To get into that--Judy, what kind of, how many programs do you have and what kind of programs currently are you offering in the most creative ways in the time of COVID?

Judy: 2:38

It's certainly been a challenge. Um, we have one, two--I think10 or 11 programs overall, plus our virtual programming that we've started since COVID started. And our, our virtual programming includes a seated fitness class for people who are primarily wheelchair users or have pretty significant balance disorders. We have a standing fitness class for people who are able to stand and walk, um, without additional support. But certainly if you have balance issues, we work through that and work with, with the, um, the athletes on modifying the, the exercises as need be. Uh, we also have a virtual rowing program, so we have people who we've loaned out ergometers and they're able to row in their homes using Zoom. Um, we have, uh, introduction to martial arts. So self-defense and martial arts is kind of connected together. Um, we have an virtual yoga program, so it's adaptive yoga. So we have people who are able to stand sitting in wheelchair, sitting on the floor. And our yoga instructor is able to modify all of the poses to meet the needs of each of the athletes. And, um, we've been doing some track and field workouts that are more kind of a fitness for our youth team. We have a youth track and field program and just trying to keep those kids engaged and connected to each other, um, once a week, just so that they can not feel as isolated as, as they have been in the past.

Shelly: 4:11

What kind of response have you had from the disability community and, like participant wise? Has it been a really great response and a lot of participants across everything that you've been offering?

Jeff: 4:24

Yeah, probably our seated fitness class and our yoga class have been the most well responded to. Um, we've got quite a bit full in both of those programs and I think it's because they feel comfortable that they can do it no matter what their impairment or their ability level is. Uh, we have less people in the standing fitness class and the martial arts. And I think it's probably, there's a little bit of uh, I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if it's going to work out. What would I need to tell people is just try it, try it once it's not going to hurt you. And if you don't like it, turn the camera off and we won't see you. Our yoga attendance virtually is higher than our, uh, when we had our live program, which is very interesting. And this is something, one of these things that we would take as a learning experience. And then we will adjust our programming when we come out of this, I think maybe we will have some kind of hybrid program where people can be live, no transportation, as everybody knows this big issue. And, uh, you know, Philadelphia has a pretty robust paratransit system, but still it's problematic for people to use. And, uh, you know, we have, uh, people in, in the County surrounding us that it's a big ask for them to come all the way to Philadelphia to do yoga. So we, we, we look at this as, this is a positive that, you know, we were forced to be something we weren't really even thinking about, but we learned that we, our delivery is even better when we're able to meet people in a way that works for that. So I think, I think all adapted programs, that's how we learned this, you know, whether conducting live or virtual program.

Shelly: 6:09

Yeah. And I've tapped into some wonderful program, uh, online and panel discussions that ended up being nationwide. And all of my experiences have been really just extremely positive of we can learn. And I think your audience is actually gonna end up being broader because like you said, Jeff, you know, people from Berks County or Schuylkill, you know, definitely are not going to drive two hours. You know, here they can be in the comfort of their home.

Jeff: 6:36

Yeah, Sure. My own personal experience is that I do some fitness programs for myself and they're virtual now. And, uh, I don't know if I'm going to go back to the live program because I have a nice little routine and, uh, I, it saves me quite a bit of travel time. So I think that's, I mean, there's something to be said about, you know, being in contact with others and that dynamic, but, uh, it's just, we, we really think that this is a, this will be an asset for our program because we're continuing to virtual program.

Shelly: 7:09

So do you guys have any partnerships in the, in the community or in the region that kind of help you connect with athletes?

Jeff: 7:18

Uh, yes we are--we are national, we have two national partners. Uh, well actually one now, uh, uh, Move United, which used to be Disabled Sports USA. We are a chapter of that. It's a nationwide organization that provides a range of services for people with disabilities. And, uh, we're an independent chapter. That's how that organization has set out. We have our own 501(c) stature. Uh, and then we used to be part of something called the Paralympic Sport Club Network where they reconfigured and they've dropped that feature of the Paralympics, uh, which was, uh, w we liked it, you know, but I don't know that what, you know, might've been a funding thing or just say, no, they were refocusing. So, uh, that we have that one national partner and then regionally, uh, we are tapped into, uh, places like Magee Rehab, uh, Moss Rehab. Uh, we're very known to them because we've been on the scene for a long time and I have personal relationships with people in those institutions. So we're able to have some great conversations about, you know, Hey, what are you, what's going on with you? And just, you know, get people connected. That's really important. It's, you know, these, especially these regional partnerships, because it allows us to just increase our leverage as far as what we're delivering. And, you know, somebody might not want to do program mix that we do, but somebody wants to try slide hockey. And so I would just give him a name and who go contact in the game there, you know? So, um, and then other, I'm trying to think of other partners. We, we have some academic, uh, partners at Drexel University. Mostly we do, Judy will go in and do presentations. Uh, I know some of the coaching staff and some of their collegiate sports. Uh, we have a couple of our coaches are out of their rehab science, uh, doctoral program. So, uh, we have, uh, and Temple University as well. We got, uh, some, uh, sort of relationships there. And, most of them are informal, you know, they're, they'll just professional, informal professional relationships.

Judy: 9:25

We also do have a partnership with, um, Camelback Skiing Resorts, Camelback Resorts, u m, Camelback Mountain. I forget exactly the name of it, but, u m, for our ski program, our ski program runs out of Camelback Ski Mountain.

Shelly: 9:40

And that's where I learned to ski. And I could tell you being 13 and not knowing how to run as an amputee, and then flying down that hill was so invigorating and such a sense of freedom. And I finally got to experience what it was like to go fast. And, um, I had such a joy and a love for skiing. We actually ended up going to skiing in Austria and Germany. So, uh, that was at a totally different level of snow.

Jeff: 10:09

Yeah. Did you do the surface lifts? Did you have to do the T-bars and the-

Shelly: 10:13

I tried the T-bar and I could not. And then my husband had gone up ahead of me. So some German guy who spoke no English just grabbed me and took me up on the T-bar with him. I was so mortified, but you know what it, I learned the T-bar is not for me, so that's okay.

Jeff: 10:35

I just, I recently I asked that I know that in Europe they are the very common.

Shelly: 10:40

Yeah, yeah. So I learned that I am not able to do that. So we avoided those after that. We had, we had a good chuckle at, at my expense and we moved on, but hey, like you said, I gave it a try, right?

Jeff: 10:53

Yeah. And it's, it's, um, you know, and that's, that's what we want people to do. We understand that you might, you know, somebody wants to try something, uh, and it might not fit for them. And I, I just tell people, try a program. The best, the first thing is going to be, you're going to meet people who are doing what you're interested in doing, and then you can find out really how it works from somebody who's, you know, an athlete in that program. And, uh, and maybe that doesn't, it doesn't ring your bell. So you try one of our other programs. But the thing is to just keep trying, and, you know, a lot of times people with disabilities, they have not had an opportunity to sort of develop that--I guess I get what call it a habitual, uh, sort of aspect of, of fitness and sports, because they just haven't had the opportunities. So it's, it's not really in, in their experience. So we, we do get a fair amount of people coming in as adults who really have never done any, any level of, you know, sort of group or community fitness activity. So that's, we are often starting from a very basic level with people, just trying to get them used to the idea of, um, you know, just doing these things. You know, they're just new, and there's just so many barriers for people. I mean, there's a lot of times we, that's what we do. We spend time kind of knocking those barriers down for people, or at least, you know, helping them address something that goes through everything we do, including our cost structure. We're very low cost because, you know, as a group, uh, you know, people with disabilities don't--the income levels are, are not always where they need to be to go join the gym. Uh, so we, we have a very modest cost that do not cover our own costs. So, you know, we spend a lot of time having to raise fund--funds to do, you know, to make that work, but it wouldn't work, if we charge a market rate. It just wouldn't work.

Shelly: 12:52

What kind of feedback do you get with new participants that are trying a new, um, the new yoga or skiing or wheelchair basketball or whatever you offer, you know, what kind of feedback are you, are you hearing from them when they try that?

Judy: 13:06

Most of the time it's it's,. Oh my God, I felt so free for the first time. I left my wheelchair, I left my crutches. I left whatever I usually need. I left it and I got away and it was so much fun and I could do it. And I didn't struggle. Um, we actually have a woman who's been a participant with us for years, and she's had neurological impairment with balance deficits and coordination deficits. And she started doing the standing fitness class and a few--she's always had to ride on a tandem bicycle because of her balance. And a few weeks ago, we were able to start one of our live cycling programs back up, and she was able to get onto a trike bicycle for the first time by herself. And she rode seven miles, which she's never done. And she's like, I rode seven miles and my balance is great. And I got on the bike so much better. And she's, and now I can hike with my family. And she's just thrilled, because she can spend time with her family and her friends and be so much more active.

Jeff: 14:09

And our programs can be transformational. I mean, we don't, we don't really focus on that, that aspect. We know that that can happen. Uh, we're mostly volunteer driven, and the volunteers are--our culture is that, you know, we'll meet somebody wherever they are. And as far as, you know, their fitness or sort of the mental outlook, and we start, that's where we start. we don't have a bar that people have to a minimal bar really. Uh, but we do have an expectation of success. So the volunteers are extremely motivated to make you do well, you know. But they have that other piece that it's not their, their expectation of what somebody should be doing other than knowing the sport and activity, it's their expectation for somebody like what they, how they can draw out what their capacity is, what their ability is and that's, that takes a special kind of person. We're lucky that we have so many people like that. I think it, part of it is people like that are attracted to other people like that. So they get involved in the program and then they're like, Oh, these people that think like me and, you know, and, and they, they kind of, we have a very high retention rate of volunteers. They have 30 years, you know, some volunteers they just, uh, which is, I think is a good indication that we're, we're doing something that people like, and, and it's really important. You know, we, I understand, I'm always mindful of that. If somebody gets to our doorstep, uh, an athlete with a disability, they've already made a lot of effort to get there. I know that it's not, you just didn't drive by and on a whim. You know, there are a lot of things that you had to take care of to get there. So the success is already on its way. People might not realize that, but I know if somebody's done that, that they're motivated. And then we just have to keep their experience positive, especially in the beginning, you know, that it's all success. And if people get more, they're interested in competition, then it changes a little bit, you know, then we're, then we're really, we're getting more into sort of performance oriented, uh, uh, activity, and, uh, that, that, uh, we do that as well. We've produced, I think, 11 Paralympians. We are successful there, but our main focus is community base sport involvement. That's sort of our mission.

Shelly: 16:31

Speaking of the community, we talked earlier about socialize--socialization, isolation from COVID, and you were telling me the other week about how you work with the politicians in the area.

Jeff: 16:46

Yeah. It can be, it's always a challenge to, I guess this is for any of that, you know, dynamic is what you're, if you're talking to somebody about something they don't have experience with, you have to make it relatable for them, you know, so that they--and I've been doing this a long time and you never know what's what somebody's going to have that aha moment. I get what you're doing. Uh, and this is one of those I was mentioning, you know, that this was early on in COVID. I was in a Zoom meeting with some, uh, some Philadelphia, um, you know, staff, people, city staff, and some politicians. And we were talking about, you know, they would just everybody's talking cause it was all new--Zooms, you know everything was new. And I said, you know, and people were just excited to be on a screen, talking to somebody and said, you know, this is something that our participants experience all the time, this social isolation, that it's more. And I think it's more acute for them now that's my hunch. Uh, but, and I could, I couldn't see it. I could just see a lot of people going, huh? I sort of get it. I see what it is to be cut off because that's really--and I went on to explain a little more like, you know, when somebody has ah, an acquired injury, um, their life might stop for a year or so, but especially if you're young, your peers lives don't stop. They continue, and there's so many changes, especially in a young person's life, in a compressed period. So they're off to college and everything, and this person is still home. They're still, you know, maybe say they got injured in high school. That's that was sort of when their life, their social life sort of stopped. So they've got this hiatus and, uh, nobody, unless you're in the field, I don't think anybody understands that and how impactful that is. So when we're able to connect with somebody like that and, you know, say, Oh you're in a chair, here's your bike. You know, we know you're not--I don't want to use but I will--You're not special to us in that kind of way that maybe the larger public thinks you're an athlete. We understand what you need. We're going to give you those things and then, uh, and, and go forward. And so I think just that, just talking about social isolation to people who were not in the field, uh, and they were feeling, it resonated with them, I know it did and because I got what I wanted on that meeting.

Shelly: 19:06

Good. Yeah. I think putting them in our shoes or our shoe, you know, it turns the tables and makes them stop and think. And I think that's another wonderful thing that, you know, while there's been a lot of horrific things that have come out of COVID, you know, this, this has taught people some really valuable lessons and hopefully those politicians and other people in, in not only our Philadelphia community, but, you know, nationwide, worldwide, they realize that things need to change. And it is doable if you think outside the box with some creativity.

Jeff: 19:41

Yeah. And, and you know, this is the other thing I tell people all the time is all the warnings have been pulled, uh, with COVID, you know, for organizations, it's an opportunity to try different things and to, and to reconfigure things. So now I think that's one of the reasons sort of the government has been a little more receptive than in some areas. You still struggle with some decisions, but now they know who we are and you know, and that's been really, really helpful.

Shelly: 20:06

Yeah. You're building a relationship, a face-to-face relationship. And if they're out of state, you wouldn't have had that opportunity as, as often as you may have had. It's great to hear that you have created so many strong partnerships in the area. Right now, let's take a commercial break and we'll be back.

AD: 20:25

Abilities in Motion is one of Pennsylvania's premiere Centers for Independent Living existing to educate, support and promote individuals with disabilities. Our programs are focused on providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities to live independent, self-determined lives. Abilities in Motion advocates for local, state, and national laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities. We are proud to create innovative and sustainable solutions and set trends using multi-focused approaches towards shaping national education, employment opportunities, in-home supports and healthcare that affects the lives of individuals with disabilities. For more information about programs and services Abilities in Motion provides, call(610) 376-0010 or visit our website at www.abilitiesinmotion.org.

Shelly: 21:15

And we're back. Today, our guests are the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports with Judy Morrison and Jeff McGinnis. So I wanted to ask you wrapping this up. Um, Jeff talked about fundraising and I wanted to know, you've mentioned to me that you were doing a virtual regatta and some other things online and fundraising. So I wanted you guys to touch on that and let us, let our listeners know how they can find you and maybe tap into some of these online connections and classes.

Judy: 21:51

I'm actually going to let Jeff talk about that because he just started the, um, 5.0 virtual challenge, and he has a much better handle of that than I do.

Jeff: 22:02

You mentioned the challenge. Earlier, I said, you know, it's, it's, we, unfortunately COVID has disrupted some of our funding, funding stream. So we're having to be creative in sort of what we're, we're calling, closing the gap. So we created an online challenge. Everybody's probably seen me some, they seem to be coming into my mailbox all the time. Uh, it's just the way people can, um, they can pick an activity they want to do, and, uh, and then raise, raise money off that we have a period of pure platform people could do that is very important for us to, to, to keep going. You know, we it's like any ongoing concern just because you might not be doing a live programming, you know. And so we have to, so we're working the virtual, it's called the 5.0, uh, challenge, and the website is, uh, it's all one word, it's 5.0challenge.org. Uh, and you know, people can go there and check it out. It's pretty easy to use. Uh, the other sort of a virtual piece that we're doing is the, we have a growing, regatta it's been, it's its 34th or 35th year. We never missed a date. Uh, this is the first time we had to cancel, uh, it's a national event and we're moving that to a virtual event. So there was a thing called an ergometer, which is a rowing machine. It's a training tool, and we will be using that as the competitive piece of equipment. So if people have access to it and that's the challenge, not everybody has one of these pieces of equipment, hard to get in a gym these days. So well, we want to have something, I think it's important to have the momentum, uh, you know, so that these things can continue, uh, in any way possible in the rowing community, there's a lot of virtual, uh, regattas now. This is a big season for rowing, uh, the fall season. So across the country, people are able to enter these things. And so we want to do that. We want to be able to provide that for people with disabilities who were up, you know, so they have, you know, one of the things about our rowing machine, this kind of inside stuff, but this is the most boring piece of equipment in the world that you have to train on. It just, it's just a fact of life. as somebody who spent a lot of time on one, but they're awesome. They're awesome exercises, uh, pieces of equipment for, for fitness. Uh, but it can get dull if you're in your basement all the time, just sort of hammering away on that thing. So if you have a goal, with a regatta to compete for, it makes it, it makes it, I think better. It makes it more interesting. Um, and, uh, so that's, we're looking at maybe doing something where we're thinking about something called the holiday challenge between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there'll be a longer event. Uh, so people have time to get access to the equipment and then they'll just register and record the times. And, um, you know, it's just, it's basically bragging rights. That's what you get.

Shelly: 24:49

Well, good. I hope it all works out. Let me know, um, maybe Judy, you can touch on this. Where are you folks out on social media that they could get our listeners to connect with you?

Judy: 25:02

So our website is centeronline.com. We also have a Facebook page. It's Pennsylvania Center for Adaptive Sports and an Instagram site that is Center Online.

Shelly: 25:18

Well, I think that's everything. So Judy and Jeff, thank you so much for your time and thanks to the Pennsylvania Center for Adaptive Sports for all that they do. And to my listeners out there, I thank you for listening and stay tuned for another great edition of Disability Talks. We'll see you next time.

Outro: 25:58

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Disability Talks. Want to keep the conversation going? Then visit our website at www.abilitiesinmotion.org or connect with us on social media. And remember don't diss my ability.