A review of adaptive equipment and technology for exercise and sports activities for people with disabilities

Abstract

Individuals with disabilities face psychological, environmental, and resource-related barriers to participating in exercise and sports. The lack of participation in exercise observed in the disability community poses great concern to this population’s health. This review discusses commercially available adaptive equipment and technology for exercise and sports that help people with disabilities circumvent barriers to exercise. The methods section highlights various categories of adaptive tools and their cost, accessibility, ease of learning, and progress level to help people with disabilities determine points of entry to fitness that align with their needs. Additionally, fitness-related businesses, fitness device developers, and researchers can leverage the discussed findings to understand gaps in this field to further advance adaptive equipment and technology and help facilitate widespread use. The paper serves as a comprehensive resource to researchers, entrepreneurs, and consumers to guide developing, accessing, and marketing adaptive exercise technology.