How Rowan University helps people with disabilities Get FIT
GLASSBORO, N.J. (CBS) -- A program at Rowan University is helping people with disabilities improve their physical health. It's been around for more than a decade, but it gets more popular every year.
"It's a fantastic program that I feel extremely privileged to be a part of every day," Rowan University junior Charles Thumm said. "It's one of the best parts of my week."
READ: Celebrating the Ability in Disability
As a junior at Rowan University, Thumm loves going to the gym -- not necessarily for his own workouts but rather to train individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"Sometimes, we may be working with clients that they use a wheelchair or we may be working with clients that don't have great grip strength," he said. "It's trying to figure out how to best match your workout to their needs, and really, that skill comes with time."
For 15 years, Rowan students have been leading the Get FIT program, serving as fitness coaches to clients with disabilities and helping to bolster their physical activity and nutrition education.
"It's very important, not only mentally but physically," Rowan University sophomore Lorenzo Dubon said. "They get stronger, they build new muscle. And they also just get out of their comfort zone and feel like they're involved in something bigger."
"People with disabilities can have a harder time being fit, being healthy, having these good habits," Dr. Leslie Spencer, a professor at Rowan University, said.
Spencer helped start the Get FIT program and still leads it today. She says it grows in participation and popularity pretty much every year.
"A big piece of what we do here at Get FIT is, build relationships," Spencer said. "Our clients are able to form a relationship with their trainers, and that social interaction is huge for them. It builds their social confidence."
As beneficial as the program is for the student trainers, Spencer says it's much more important for the clients they cater to in South Jersey.
"People of all abilities have something to contribute, have something meaningful to offer, if they are given the basic support that allows them to be healthy and allows them to be independent," Spencer said. "And programs like this make that more possible for people with disabilities."
This semester, there are 65 individuals with disabilities taking part in the program, and nearly twice as many student trainers.
