A Competency-Based Analysis of Provider Training at Community-Based Exercise Programs for Persons With Disabilities Across Canada: An Environmental Scan.

Abstract

Many qualified exercise professionals are underprepared to support the quality exercise experiences of persons with disabilities. Community-based exercise programs for persons with disabilities often offer new providers (i.e., staff, volunteers, and students) specialized onboarding training. We aimed to identify the competency elements delivered in these trainings. Applying a competency-based lens, training materials (n = 94) from community-based exercise programs in Canada (n = 9) were analyzed to identify competency elements (i.e., knowledge, skills, and attitudes) taught to providers and differences in training content between provider types. The majority of training content focused on the provision of knowledge, with less attention to skills and attitudes training. Focusing on knowledge acquisition can leave providers without the capacity to apply the knowledge they have attained in real-time situations. Staff training was oriented toward disability-specific content, while volunteer and student training focused more on general and program-specific content. Findings informed the development of disability-specific competencies for qualified exercise professionals in community exercise settings.