Students with disabilities can get a good workout at the Fieldhouse
The Nelson Fieldhouse is home to three state-of-the-art pieces of exercise equipment for the disabled, making it possible for those in wheelchairs to get a decent workout too.
The equipment, located on the second floor of the fieldhouse, has actually been at USU for a few years now and has received use by a number of students but very little from disabled students. Two of the three pieces were added nearly four years ago during the first fieldhouse renovation in 2002, and the third was added during the second renovation in 2004.
Although situated on the second floor, the equipment is very accessible to the disabled by use of the elevator which is located just behind the west stairs. The path from the elevator to the equipment is wide enough for a wheelchair, and the floor around the three pieces is open, making working out comfortable and easy. The pieces may seem a bit technical, but instructions for use are posted on the wall by the machines and much of the staff is able to help those with questions.
Bill Bauer, facilities coordinator at USU, said since purchasing the equipment only about three disabled individuals have utilized them. Matt Maw, former USU student, was one of those three. Maw was the mascot for Weber State University and broke his neck practicing a triple back flip, becoming a quadriplegic and retaining only slight movement in his arms.
Although disabled, Maw continued his education at USU and was able to continue to work out using this equipment. His continual use of the equipment gave the university great incentive to purchase more, thus adding the latest machine a few years ago.
The three pieces include a hand bike, a weight machine and a dual pulley weight machine.
The hand bike, called the Sci Pro II, has U-shaped handles so the user can place their hands inside them rather than having to grip. The bike’s chair can also slide off and a wheelchair can pull right up to the machine so one does not have to switch from one seat to another.
The weight machine, called the Uppertone, is the piece which was most used by Maw, who had very little hand grip strength. Users can slide a hand into the four-sided handle and need only arm strength to use the equipment. The machine offers 16 different exercises, each of which are explained and demonstrated on the poster on the wall.
The dual pulley weight machine is the most recently added piece and is wide set and open so a wheel chair can easily pull in. It can be modified for use by those either standing or in a wheelchair, and the weight adjustments are low to the ground, making them easily accessible to those at all levels. Again, the handles are enclosed, making those with little gripping ability able to easily use the machine.
The little attention given to the equipment by the disabled could be for a number of reasons, and Bauer believes it may be because they do not know such machines are available for their use.
“The disabled pay recreation fees and should be able to come over and use the equipment too,” he said.
Although the equipment may seem somewhat limited, the three machines offer a wide variety of exercises, and Bauer said if more interest is shown in the machines by the disabled, there is a good chance more equipment could be added.
-lmecham@cc.usu.edu