Changing Student Health Professionals' Attitudes toward Disability: A Longitudinal Study.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether positive changes in self-reported attitudes toward disability were retained after students had participated in a 12-week voluntary community-based exercise programme for young people with disability. Sixty-eight physiotherapy and exercise physiology students (45 women, 23 men; mean age 21 y) volunteered. Each student was matched with a young person with disability, and the pair exercised together twice a week for 12 weeks at their local gymnasium.

A community-based exercise program to increase participation in physical activities among youth with disability: a feasibility study.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of a student-mentored community-based exercise program for youth with disability.

Method: Nineteen youth (nine female; mean age 18 years) with disability (seven cerebral palsy, six Down syndrome, three spina bifida, two autism spectrum disorder, one spinal cord injury) were recruited. Each participant was matched with a student mentor and exercised twice a week for 12 weeks at their local gymnasium.