AdaptX Education

An evidence-based exploration of strategies and systems to design effective programs and accessible environments.

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Understand the Diagnosis But Train the Individual

Interested in creating an inclusive environment and more effective programs for clients with intellectual and physical disabilities but unsure where to begin?

The AdaptX Education platform hosts the most comprehensive curriculum on inclusion, accessibility, universal design, and adaptive fitness. We give you the tools and confidence to support clients of all abilities.

Addressing Barriers Through Education

Too many people with disabilities feel excluded from fitness environments.

We are changing that.

73.3%

of people with disabilities do not believe fitness facilities are accommodating

Survey by the Lakeshore Foundation, a Paralympic Training Facility

84.3%

of people with disabilities do not believe fitness programs are inclusive of those with disabilities.

90.9%

of people with disabilities do not believe exercise professionals are adequately trained.

Educating Individuals, Organizations, and Universities

on Inclusion, Accessibility, and Adaptive Fitness

Logo for 'Natural Health Fitness Pro' with a green and black design, including a city skyline, leaves, and text that reads 'More than Exercise, Customized Wellness.'
QMW Creation LLC logo with stylized blue and gray text and graphic elements
Logo for Race Montana Summit and Expo featuring bold text, a mountain bike wheel, a mountain bike shoe, and mountain scenery in the design.
Pink logo with angel wings and a halo above stylized initials 'AAA', and the website 'www.AinsleysAngels.org' below.
Logo of the Functional Adaptive Movement (FAM) organization, featuring a stylized circular icon above the text "FAM" with the words "Functional Adaptive Movement" underneath.
Logo of the American cable television network 'The Y' with stylized text and purple triangle.
Logo of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team, featuring a red letter 'A' with a halo on top.
Logo of the TV network TLC in blue with the tagline "The Only Way is TLC" underneath.
The logo of the University of Oklahoma featuring interlocking gold letters 'OU' on a black background.
Colorful digital art with the word "falon" and blurred background
Glitching digital stock photo of a robot factory with the words 'ROBOTICS BY' at the top and 'Cleveland, Ohio' at the bottom.
Logo for Tunstone healthcare providers, featuring a stylized yellow and blue spiral graphic and the text 'Tunstone Healthcare Providers'.
Logo for the National Inclusion Forum featuring a stylized flower with five yellow petals and a teal-colored element at the center, with the text 'National Inclusion Forum' next to it.
Southwestern University logo featuring a shield with a torch and an open book.
Logo with butterfly icon and text reading 'Teaching Channel With Learners Edge'.
Logo for TJX Lead featuring a symbol for accessibility with a pink and red color scheme.
The logo features the words "InBody" in dark pink or maroon text with a black background.
Seal of the College of Paralegals of Alabama featuring a balance scale, book, and scales of justice.
University of Michigan logo with text 'Student Life Recreational Sports'
The ASU logo with a stylized `S` and a sunburst design behind it.
Logo of ASICS featuring a blue stylized letter 'a' and the word 'asics' in blue uppercase letters.
The University of Connecticut Storrs logo featuring a green stylized 'U' and 'Conn' with beige outlines.

Explore our Course Catalog

  • A thumbnail for the courses Inclusion 101 with blue geometric squares in the bottom right corner and a icon of a hand holding conversation bubbles

    Inclusion 101: Etiquette and Language

  • A thumbnail for Foundations with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Foundations of Inclusion and Accessibility

  • A thumbnail for Improving Upper Extremity Health in Manual Wheelchair Users with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Improving Upper Extremity Health in Manual Wheelchair Users

  • A thumbnail for Visual Impairment with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Visual Impairment

  • A thumbnail for Spina Bifida with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Spina Bifida

  • A thumbnail for Cerebral Palsy with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Cerebral Palsy

  • A thumbnail for Assessments and Asymmetries with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Assessments and Asymmetries

  • A thumbnail for Unilateral Training Strategies with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Unilateral Training Strategies for Hemiplegia, Rehab, and Strength

  • A thumbnail for Understanding Prosthetics and Training Strategies with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Prosthetics and Training Strategies to Support Amputees

  • A thumbnail for Down Syndrome with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Down Syndrome

  • A thumbnail for Neurodiversity with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Neurodiversity

  • A thumbnail of Osteoporosis with geometric blue squares in the corner

    The Intersection of Osteoporosis and Disability

  • A thumbnail for Accessible Marketing with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Accessible Marketing and Authentic Representation

  • A thumbnail for Multiple Sclerosis with geometric blue squares in the corner

    Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

View the Course Catalog

A La Carte Education

Choose individual courses to complete asynchronously

Price Varies Per Course

View the Course Catalog

Join our Database of AdaptX Coaches

AdaptX Certification

Fundamentals and Theories of Inclusive and Adaptive Fitness

$499

Sign-up
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ACE Certified logo with the words 'ACE Approved' in red and blue text.

Approved for CEUs through

NACTM Approved Provider logo with a stylized swoosh above the text.
Logos and text indicating NSCA certification, CEU approval, and certification validity from 2024 to 2026.

Cohort Pricing

For companies that want to
educate a group of employees.

Send us an Email brendan@adaptx.org

Email About Cohort Pricing
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Meet our Educators

  • Dr. Jackie Garcia

    Amputees and Prosthetics

  • Dr. Brian Skotko

    Down Syndrome

  • Adam Bleakney PLY

    Upper Extremity Health in MWU

  • Dr. Chris Joyce

    Assessments and Asymmetries

  • Tim Morris

    SCI, Upper Extremity Health in MWU

  • Dr. Cora Firkin

    Autism

Meet the Entire Educational Team

What Coaches are Saying about the Course

  • Take this course! Most comprehensive collection of information to help understand Adaptive Fitness Training and proper certification given after a test of acquired knowledge. Connects you to others who have this focus as well. Good Stuff!!

    Roni Andrews

  • This program has been a great wrinkle to add to my development as a recreational therapist and professional. Adaptx should be a be a stable in the CTRS profession.

    Sean Sumner

  • The AdaptX Course was fantastic! I have taken many online classes/certifications, but none that have been as well done and applicable as AdaptX. I feel much more confident in my ability to create an inclusive fitness environment and work with individuals in various populations.

    Nate Nester, MS, LAT, ATC

  • This was an amazing course that gave lots of practical knowledge as well as resources. I would highly recommend it for anyone in the training and medical field as it teaches best practices for all individuals regardless of disability.

    Karen Hurley, DPT

  • I can't recommend AdaptX enough! The content is comprehensive and evidence-based while still being taught in a digestible and applicable way. For trainers, PTs, OTs, adaptive PE teachers, etc. this course will push you to think differently about disability and how you can create the most inclusive environment possible for your clients!

    Sara Haberman, OT

  • The AdaptX course is great for all fitness professionals. The material that AdaptX provides is top notch. Highly recommended!

    EJ Whitney

  • Absolutely amazing course. Really in-depth detail and gives you all you need to know when working with people who are differently abled in the gym. Really enjoyed the person centred approach. People first always.

    Jodie Loveday

  • AdaptX has built an impressive program to help clinicians and trainers better adapt to working with different populations that are commonly underserved (underdosed, mismanaged, mistreated). It combines sound strength and conditioning principles, marries it with current population specific research, and arms you with best practices to improve programming with these populations. I would recommend this program for any clinician or trainer looking to better equip themselves to work with patients/clients with disabilities

    Kyle Denlinger, DPT, OCS

  • I loved the course. As a mom of a young man with autism and former special education teacher, I feel that everything is spot on, and presented in an informative way that isn’t too overwhelming. I really enjoyed the office hour presentations as well, it did not even feel like they were an hour long, the subject matter was so interesting.

    Carolyn Adams

Michael Hynard

Functional Adaptive Movement (NZ)

Jessica Lewis

JoyFull Fitness

Roni Andrew

Milwaukee YMCA

Join our Community

Updated database of AdaptX coaches coming November, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Two men standing side by side in front of a wooden wall filled with framed photos. One man is holding a sports trophy. The man on the left is young, wearing a gray and white striped zip-up jacket. The man on the right is older, wearing a black and yellow sports shirt.

“What AdaptX is doing is unbelievable. They are pioneering the idea that athletes of all abilities can seamlessly coexist in a traditional fitness center.”

- Dick Hoyt

    • Ongoing support from a dedicated team

    While most online learning is built to be scalable without human-interaction, we have a student success team available to answer any questions both during your learning experience and afterward. Once you take our course, you are part of our community.

    • AdaptX is the Intersection of Literature and Practical Experience

    The course is created by a diverse and distinguished team of educators. AdaptX was founded by a team with practical experience training hundreds of individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities and building an inclusive fitness business that has generated over a million dollars in revenue. The Rick Hoyt Research Lab and our continuously evolving curriculum allows us to fill in the gaps in the literature as well as update the content to match the most recent research.

    • Mission-Driven, not Revenue-Driven

    AdaptX is a non-profit organization dedicated to making fitness accessible. The revenue model doesn’t rely on creating a recurring revenue stream through re-certification processes and CEU requirements. Sales from the AdaptX curriculum support adaptive athletes through our other initiatives.

  • Our curriculum is online and self-paced to allow us to reach a wider audience, but we can be reached personally by email at any time. We are working on adding more in-person learning opportunities but at the moment, observation is always welcome at our headquarters in Lancaster, MA, where we have dozens of individuals with disabilities train throughout the week, and at the other sites who use our curriculum to educate their staff.

  • The AdaptX course is not a replacement for a university degree or a personal trainer license from a governing organization. As an independent trainer you would be required to carry your own liability insurance. As an employee or contractor of a commercial company, they would have their own unique set of requirements. AdaptX, 501(c)3, is not liable for the safety of the clients trained by professionals who have completed the course.

    • You will have the opportunity to attend guest presentations from industry experts on supplementary topics and book free consultations during our weekly Office Hours.

    • You’ll be able to observe inclusive strength and conditioning sessions at Unified Health and Performance and attend AdaptX events

    • You’ll be able to join a Facebook Group to converse with other AdaptX professionals

    • You’ll be listed on our ‘Find a Coach’ database to connect you with adaptive athletes

    • You will be listed as a qualified fitness professional in our aXis mobile application (coming in 2026)

    • You will have access to updated material as more courses are published

  • The course is approved for CEUs through ACE, NASM, NSCA, NCTRC, CanFitPro, and some other smaller organizations. If you are currently certified through a specific organization and would like to get CEUs from the AdaptX course, reach out to brendan@adaptx.org

  • We do not currently have an expiration date or recertification process. However, that is subject to change as we grow out the available material.

Contact us.

Interested in how AdaptX can help you make your fitness business more inclusive and accessible?