Personal trainers at a Bolton gym have been learning British Sign Language to offer group sessions to people who are deaf or have hearing impairements
The Colony Health & Fitness Gym in Knowsley Street Bolton is one of Bolton’s first gym’s to be giving personal training sessions to deaf people from The Bolton Deaf Society.
The idea came when a person from the society walked into the gym, which is opposite the society, and enquired about using the gym.
Owners and personal trainers, Conor McGirr, Luke Walker and Jake Abrahams did their best to accommodate but found it hard to communicate.
Luke said: “They are opposite us in the town centre and we look at their building from our gym.
“We’ve seen people floating around outside and when someone came in, it was difficult to give her a look around while communicating on paper.
“We thought we were missing an opportunity and maybe we should offer something for them.”
Earlier this month, charities such as Health Watch England raised concern over a lack of progress in ensuring communication rights for all people trying to access NHS services, including those without hearing.
The charities said there was not enough support so that these groups of people could access healthcare.
In the same way, Luke and the team want to provide a service to the Bolton Deaf Society so that they too can access fitness classes.
He said: “There are so many barriers for deaf people even something as simple as trying to get on a bus and not being able to ask for help.
“I don’t know any other gym at all that can offer this.
“We did a crash course in BSL and the society will also bring an interpreter to help us.”
The team will also be offering a further sessions for deaf Asian women after it was brought to their attention that the women from South Asian communities said they did not feel comfortable being trained by men.
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Luke said: “We are excited because this is something different.
“It’s not normally something we’d do, but after realising how beneficial it would be, we are happy to do it.
“We are a community gym, not like a normal gym where you pay your gym membership and never speak to us.”
The sessions will start in March with an exact date to be announced, and will run for six weeks at a time.
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