Promoting Physical Activity for College and University Students with Disabilities

The benefits of physical activity (PA) participation are well documented, and yet many students with disabilities remain inactive. Approximately 19 % of U.S. undergraduate students have a disability and this is an 8 % increase since a decade ago. As the number of college/university students with disabilities (CUSD) is consistently increasing, it is important to provide equal opportunities for this population to be physically active. While inactivity raises health concerns for all college students, literature reveals that CUSD are less physically active than those without disabilities and/or CUSD may not know much about college PA opportunities on campus. This suggests that there might not be enough college PA programs available for CUSD. The purpose of this paper is to provide the importance of PA programs/courses for CUSD, college/university students without disabilities, and faculty. In addition, we will identify possible challenges to designing and implementing college PA programs for CUSD and strategies to better manage those challenges based on a review of the existing literature.