Lancaster inclusive gym owner Brendan Aylward has launched an online business designed to help other gyms better serve athletes with disabilities.
“The mission is to create most accessibility and inclusivity for adaptive athletes in the (exercise) space,” said Aylward, whose gym in Lancaster has Special Olympic athletes train alongside other gym clients. “I want people to see how this can benefit their business and how it can improve them as a coach as a whole.”
The new venture, called AdaptX, will take people through a training course that had its start with material Aylward created for interns. Over time, he expanded this material into a full class providing information in relation to adaptive clients such as communication strategies, behavior management, and differences in anatomy. The class is available online for $600, and people making it through will have a consultation with Aylward as they determine how to integrate adaptive training.
Aylward’s goal with the program is to expand the inclusive model of training, which has been a trademark of his gym since it opened in 2016. To help build the opportunity for training, a portion of the proceeds of the online course will go to a training scholarship fund Aylward has set up through Easterseals Massachusetts. Inaccessibility to training due to socio-economic constraints for Special Olympic participants is an issue he is concerned with, he said, and one he hopes this fund can help address.
