Hampton, N.H. (September 21, 2021) — Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT), one of the largest and fastest-growing global franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Council on Independent Living, and American Council of the Blind (collectively “Coalition for Inclusive Fitness” or the “Coalition”) today announced a commitment to expand access to accessible exercise equipment.

“As a leader in the industry and home of the Judgement Free Zone®, it is our mission to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment to anyone who comes through our doors,” said Chris Rondeau, Planet Fitness’ Chief Executive Officer. “People with disabilities face significant barriers when attempting to access health and wellness activities, and it’s clear that health inequity is often due to a lack of access and opportunity. Today’s commitment is another way we are working to eliminate barriers and enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience for everyone.”

The Coalition is focused on working with global organizations to build inclusive health communities that provide people with disabilities equal access to, and opportunities for, healthy living. Planet Fitness is committed to providing inclusive equipment in all new stores and adding it to existing stores across the country as franchise owners replace current offerings, as inclusive commercial grade equipment becomes available for purchase and is approved by Planet Fitness for inclusion in its clubs.

Planet Fitness will enhance the amount and variety of accessible equipment provided at its clubs by adding new inclusive equipment that conforms with ASTM standards as it becomes commercially available for purchase after clearing through a due diligence process, in accordance with set phased-in time parameters.

Earlier this month, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Congressman Langevin (D-RI) reintroduced the Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion (REAADI) for Disasters Act (S. 2658 / H.R. 4938), and Senator Casey and Congressman Panetta (D-CA) reintroduced the Disaster Relief Medicaid Act (DRMA) (S. 2646 / H.R. 4937). You can find more information about these two critical bills, including information about the bills, previous alerts, our archived Stakeholder Meetings, and our Disability Equity During Disasters toolkit at our REAADI for Disasters Act and DRMA web page.

NCIL is grateful to Senator Casey, Congressman Langevin, and Congressman Panetta for taking the lead on these important bills that will help address and dismantle the barriers disabled people face before, during, and after disasters. We will be sending letters expressing our strong support for these efforts, and the dire need for the REAADI for Disasters Act and DRMA to be passed and implemented quickly.

Please join these sign-on letters expressing your organization’s strong support for these bills and thanking Senator Casey, Congressman Langevin, and Congressman Panetta for their leadership!

Sign your organization on to our REAADI for Disasters Act & DRMA Support Letters!

• Read the letters
• Sign on to the letters by using our online form by Friday, August 27.

If this form is not accessible to you, or if you have any questions, you can email reyma@ncil.org with:

• your organization’s name exactly as you would like it listed
• whether you are a national, state, or local organization
• what state you are in (if state or local)
• and your preferred email address (for internal purposes only)

NCIL is excited by last week’s reintroduction of the Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion (REAADI) for Disasters Act (S. 2658 / H.R. 4938) and the Disaster Relief Medicaid Act (DRMA) (S. 2646 / H.R. 4937). The REAADI for Disasters Act and DRMA are two essential bills that will help address and dismantle the barriers disabled people face before, during, and after disasters.

• Read more about REAADI (PDF)
• Read more about DRMA (PDF)
• Check out our REAADI for Disasters Act and DRMA Toolkit

In an effort to coordinate advocacy efforts and drum up support for these critical bills, NCIL held two stakeholder calls for the Independent Living network earlier this week. On these calls, NCIL, Congressional representatives, and invited guests celebrated the reintroductions and discussed the many ways to take action to get the REAADI for Disasters Act and DRMA passed into law.

Next week, NCIL will be hold another stakeholder call for members of the disability community outside the Independent Living network. On this call, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from speakers from a range of disability organizations about their disaster-related efforts, how engaging their disabled consumers / constituents made their efforts more successful, and how they plan to fight for the REAADI for Disasters Act and DRMA. Attendees will learn about opportunities for collaboration and will have the opportunity to ask questions. We hope you will join this call, and please feel free to forward the information about this call to others who may be interested!

The Disability Community Stakeholder Call will be on Friday, August 20, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern. The call will be held as a Zoom webinar. ASL interpreting will be provided. CART captioning will be available in the Zoom platform and at a separate Streamtext link. Please email lindsay@ncil.org if you have any questions or need any other accommodations. Please submit requests for other accommodations at least 24 hours before the event.

• Register for the Disability Community Stakeholder Call

By Hanalei Steinhart, NCIL Summer Policy Intern

The United States has recently seen a nationwide resurgence of Covid-19 alongside a push to return to in person work. Many people feel safe to do so as they have been vaccinated, however, insufficient people have been vaccinated to slow the spread of Covid-19. The continued spread of Covid-19 and its variants endangers disabled people who are unable to get vaccinated or will not gain immunity from a vaccination. Many authorities are implementing vaccine mandates to address the continued spread of disease. However, vaccine mandates disproportionately impact people who cannot get vaccinated or are unlikely to develop immunity. Vaccine mandates also force disclosure of disabilities or other medical conditions which may lead to an increase in discrimination.

There are multiple groups of people who have refused vaccination or are unable to get vaccinated. Some of those people are those typically termed “anti vaxxers” who refuse all vaccinations for a variety of reasons including political or religious ones. Others are hesitant about getting a vaccine for a variety of reasons such as African Americans concerned about the government’s history of medical abuse and experimentation in the US. Another group who has often been overlooked are those people who are unlikely to develop immunity from the vaccine. Lastly, some people are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons. The refusal of those who are eligible and able to get vaccinated has led to an increased spread of Covid-19 that disproportionately impacts the lives of disabled people.

Herd immunity is based on the principle that when a sufficient number of community members are vaccinated, a disease no longer has enough susceptible people to let it travel through the community (Mayo Clinic). This protects the few that are unvaccinated because they are unlikely to encounter the disease. A vaccine mandate is a tool to protect people who cannot be vaccinated. It is issued by a relevant authority and requires individuals to either provide authentic proof of vaccination or disclose their reason for not being vaccinated (CDC).