This past Thursday, a recent PhD student from the University of Windsor was awarded the Governor General's Gold Medal for her work to reduce barriers for the disabled and others in fitness spaces.
"Gyms often have a reputation for being unfriendly, intimidating, and exclusionary spaces," said Dr Fallon Mitchell. "This creates a massive barrier to entry for many people."
Her interest in accessibility started while she completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology. She took a class on adapted physical activity with Dr Paula van Wyk, who later became her doctoral supervisor.
While continuing her doctoral studies, Mitchell became the first Human Kinetics student at the University of Windsor to receive the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for maintaining averages above 96 per cent in her master's and doctoral studies.
Her doctoral dissertation helped create the Accessible by Design guide, a publicly available document for gyms that want to become more inclusive.
"I've received messages from academics, disability advocates, industry professionals, and organizations describing it as a valuable resource that they are glad to have access to," said Mitchell. "I hope it continues to inspire discussion and is used as a practical tool for identifying ways to better support people with a disability in fitness centres."
van Wyk says her work is already transforming industry practices across Canada.
Mitchell learned she would receive the Governor General's Gold Medal, which is awarded to top-achieving graduate students, while conducting postdoctoral work at the University of Alberta.
"My postdoctoral research builds upon these interests by involving women with lived experience as collaborators and addressing gaps in physical activity guidance for pregnant women with a disability," she said.
