Not only is Sam James an award winning, highly qualified disability and neurological conditions fitness expert; Sam has recently been shortlisted in the Disability power 100 list 2024. What a pleasure to chat with Sam – watch the webcast now!
These are the questions we covered:
- What stops people with a disability engaging in exercise?
- Why do people with a disability need to exercise? And more importantly why should non-disabled people advocate for this offering?
- Are there are generalisations that people with a disability might feel (real or perceived) about fitness professionals and establishments?
- What is the best way to communicate to someone with a disability?
- How do you communicate effectively to your clients including your non-disabled clients?
- What is CP? What is the best language to use about disabilities? For example, you said using the term cerebral palsy is best avoided – using the term CP instead.
- What are some misconceptions that you can speak of?
- Can you let us know your thoughts on the lack of visibility and also representation – how does a non-disabled person be an advocate and not fall into the trap of tokenism?
A little bit more about Sam…
Not only is Sam James an award winning, highly qualified disability and neurological conditions fitness expert; Sam is shortlisted in the Disability power 100 list 2024 – the most powerful disabled people in the UK. She has worked with all types of disabilities for over a decade. Sam is the UK’s first disabled fitness presenter, paving the way for a far more inclusive fitness industry where disabled people are seen in the exactly the same light as her non-disabled peers. Sam has presented at the top UK fitness conventions including: IFS, Elevate, MoveFit, LIW, Project Mayhem Events and at the Motability roadshow.
Alongside teaching fitness classes and personal training, she is a speaker who will talk about all aspects of disability including her own experiences within the medical world with having cerebral palsy. She is an educator and alongside other qualifications, tutors the designing exercise programmes for disabled client’s qualification. Sam is extremely passionate about not only educating the fitness industry on inclusion of disabled clients and the true meaning of what inclusive means, but she actively works with disabled people in not only getting them active but keeping them active.
