Network Magazine Autumn 2020 | Page 65

THE QUICK READ • Inclusion is defined as ‘the act or state of including or of being included within a group or structure’ • Consider whether your preferred teaching style would work if a class participant was unable to see, hear or understand what you were doing or saying • Learning simple greetings and niceties, such as ‘hello’, ‘thank you’ and ‘great job!’ in the native tongues of some of your participants is excellent for increasing inclusivity and building rapport • Learning a few simple words or phrases in Auslan, the Australian sign language, will be greatly appreciated by hearing impaired clients, and more considered and clearly detailed cueing will help visually impaired participants • Incorporating elements of inclusion in every class, regardless of whether it specifically applies to participants on that day, will make it second nature and build your reputation as a dedicated and inclusive instructor. group or structure.’ From the perspective of a Group Fitness Instructor, how can we make our classes more inclusive, particularly for those who, for various reasons, might have trouble understanding what is going on? Though this article is in no way exhaustive, my hope is that it will provoke thought and discussion about how we can create a more inclusive environment in our fitness facilities that results in more people participating in exercise. Adapting our teaching As instructors, we all have a preferred style of instructing, one that we like and are comfortable with. For some, this might be predominantly non-verbal, for others verbal, and others still, highly structured, perhaps introducing a move, a progression and maybe even an explanation of the move. Whichever style is your preference, consider how it would work if a class participant was unable to see, hear or understand what you were doing or saying. Adapting an instructing style to accommodate different participant requirements, usually at short notice, can push us outside of our comfort zones. It can even feel like we are learning how to instruct all over again. In addition, we might have to be satisfied with ‘near enough’ for some movements, as long as they are safe. For example, when a vision impaired person attended one of my aqua classes for the first time, I tried to explain what a rocking horse was. In response, the participant said ‘So it’s like a lunge?’ Perhaps I could have tried explaining it in a different way, but I also realised that that could actually be more confusing, so I decided that their interpretation in that instance was near enough. If we are seeking to be inclusive in our classes, it may mean that whole parts of our class plan will have to be altered – in part or entirely. An example would be a format that involves a lot of explaining as opposed to direct demonstrating. How might we communicate our expectations to someone who is hearing impaired? Consider also someone who speaks one of the many languages spoken in Australia (in Melbourne alone there are 251 documented languages) but has limited English. Interestingly, Australia has no ‘official’ language, but English is obviously the common one, the ‘lingua franca’. We may find ourselves on a learning curve, even taking cues from our participants. For example, the command ‘Extend your leg out’ may make sense if people can see, even if they do not know what an extension is. A vision impaired person, however, may ask ‘Which way out?’ When we demonstrate in a tactile manner it teaches us that, in future, a clearer instruction would be ‘Straighten your leg forwards’. There will be disparity between teaching a class at a textbook level of excellence and one that is seeking to be inclusive of the needs of all those in attendance. As mentioned, the latter is likely to be uncomfortable initially, and we may find ourselves sacrificing our egos for it. With practice, however, it is possible to become more accustomed to it and grow as an instructor. As Carol Syer, one of the co-founders of Enable, has previously written with regards another aspect of inclusion, ‘Learning to include everyone in your workouts will improve your communication skills and make you a sought-after instructor.’ Inclusion in rapport building Instructors are expected to build rapport with their participants. As humans, we like people like ourselves. Thus, it is natural for us to gravitate to the people who are like us – people who use the same language and have the same customs and value systems. Branching out of that can be daunting and bring us into contact with ideas and behaviours that we have never even imagined. For example, a participant from a vastly different culture to ours might have a very different understanding of time, or of family and kinship terms. They may even speak a language that does not use an alphabet, but rather an abugida, such as in a number of South East Asian languages. However, the rewards of exposing ourselves to these differences can be priceless. While we may plead language as a barrier, most people from different countries NETWORK AUTUMN 2020 | 65