Leeds City Council’s leisure centres have joined forces with a pioneering disability fitness app in a new partnership aimed at making exercise and physical activity more inclusive across the city.
Active Leeds is working with Accessercise, the first fitness app designed specifically for disabled users, to help ensure more people can access tailored support and guidance to stay active. Founded by Paralympian Ali Jawad, the app provides exercises and personalised advice based on an individual’s disability, with bespoke content and videos presented by someone with the same impairment as the user. The partnership marks a significant step forward in Leeds’ commitment to improving accessibility, wellbeing and inclusion for residents of all abilities.
Active Leeds staff have also received training from Ali Jawad on how the app works, enabling them to support gym members who want to use it for themselves. As part of the partnership, all Active Leeds members will be able to download the app and save exercises and workouts to use during their fitness sessions.
Ali Jawad, Paralympian and co-founder of Accessercise said:
“This partnership is about making inclusive fitness the norm, not the exception.
“Leeds holds a special place in my journey – I graduated from Leeds Beckett University and was based here during the London 2012 Paralympic Games. To now return in partnership with the city to promote inclusion through technology feels like a full-circle moment. Leeds is setting the standard for how local authorities can embrace innovation, collaboration, and community to drive real, lasting change for disabled people.”
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture said:
“We’re proud to partner with Accessercise and lead the way in creating accessible opportunities for all.
“As part of our Leeds Ambitions we work hard for Leeds to be a healthy and caring city for everyone. This is a big step forward in making sure that people with disabilities have access to resources and support with physical activity and exercise.”
Accessercise was created by and for the disabled community, developed in collaboration with disabled people from across the UK and supported by research from Loughborough University. Alongside adapted exercise videos, the app also offers a supportive online community and an accessibility rating scale for gyms, helping users to stay active in a way that suits them best. The app currently covers seven main categories of impairment, with plans to expand this in the future.
By teaming up with Accessercise, Leeds’ leisure centres hope to remove barriers to fitness and create a more welcoming environment where everyone has the opportunity to take part in physical activity with confidence.
