I know what you're thinking: How in the world does this guy expect the government to fund fitness memberships in the midst of a pending war, escalating budget deficits, an anemic economic recovery, and a sluggish stock market?

Well, here is what I'm thinking: Many people with disabilities seldom use recreational and fitness facilities, and most individuals, particularly those with severe disabilities, have limited options for home exercise. If a person with a disability is not working and has few outlets for participating in physical activity (i.e., no exercise equipment, unable to walk for exercise), his or her risk for acquiring various health conditions such as excess bodyweight, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, pressure ulcers, heart disease, depression, and so on, increases dramatically.

Instead of the government spending more money on treating the medical complication after it occurs, it should consider funding programs that prevent the problem in the first place.

Read the entire column at http://www.ncpad.org/197/1376/2003-03~Issue~~Government~Should~Consider~Subsidizing~
Fitness~Memberships~for~People~with~Disabilities