Award to help KU researcher increase scale of inclusive fitness programs

Gym instructors lead a class in stretching at the end of a functional fitness class

Participants stretch at the end of a functional fitness class designed at Kaw Valley CrossFit in Lawrence, Kan. Fewer than half of adults with a mobility disability are physically active, which KU researcher Lyndsie Koon said is in part because of the lack of accessibility and support at gyms. Photo: KU Marketing

Tue, 08/11/2026

Christina Knott

The health benefits of community-based exercise programs include improved physical fitness, enhanced mental well-being, and increased social support. However, access for adults with mobility disabilities is often limited, leading to increased health risks.

Functional fitness offers a model for inclusive exercise, but access is inconsistent across communities, and there is no national data to guide its expansion.

Lyndsie Koon, an investigator at the KU Life Span Institute, is working to address these gaps with a $77,250 grant through the KU Medical Center Research Institute as part of the Kansas Center for Implementation Science COBRE.

Her project examines the implementation of adaptive functional fitness programs for adults with disabilities in community-based fitness settings. The study aims to identify factors that influence the adoption, delivery, and sustainability of these programs and to inform strategies for expanding access to evidence-based functional fitness opportunities for people with disabilities.

“This project lays the groundwork for a scalable approach to expanding access to inclusive community-based exercise for people with mobility disabilities,” Koon said.

“Functional fitness facilities are at very different stages when it comes to including people with disabilities. Some are interested but do not know where to start, some have discontinued programs because they lacked the resources or support to sustain them, and others have established programs that are thriving. We want to understand what is driving those different experiences.”

A close up of an athlete's feet which are supported by braces. — Research into how to expand functional fitness for people with mobility disabilities will include input from trainers and people with lived experiences. KU Marketing photo

Koon said the research was not an effectiveness trial, but a first look at the implementation factors that influence whether adaptive functional fitness programs are adopted, delivered, and sustained.

“By examining facilities across these different stages,” she said, “we can better understand the national landscape, identify the determinants that shape implementation, and ultimately inform strategies to expand the reach and sustainability of adaptive functional fitness programs for people with disabilities.”

As part of the project, Koon and her team will conduct a national survey of functional fitness facilities to characterize the current landscape of adaptive programming and identify barriers and facilitators to including adults with mobility disabilities. The team will also conduct interviews with functional fitness trainers to better understand these experiences in depth. Consultants and members of an advisory board with lived experience will help develop study tools, interpret findings, and guide dissemination.