Sound Generations

Sound Generations is a 2023-2026 Systems Change in Inclusive Health Subgrant recipient. Through their work, Sound Generations has helped transform a mainstream fall prevention exercise program into a program accessible to all aging adults, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Sound Generations began by assessing their EnhanceFitness (EF) program, an evidence-based fall-prevention exercise program for aging adults. The assessment focused on how to make the program more accessible to adults with IDD, a population who faces an elevated risk of falls and fall-related injuries. Based on discussions with EF participants with and without IDD, instructors, and disability organizations, Sound Generations integrated adaptions in EF exercises, training materials, and delivery methods to better meet the needs of adults with IDD. They then piloted the adapted EF program in community-based organizations that serve adults with IDD in New Hampshire and Washington. Qualitative feedback from instructors indicated that the pilot increased awareness about barriers to fitness participation for people with IDD among instructors and partner organizations and it encouraged new approaches to deliver inclusive fitness programming.

Sound Generations used a Plan-Do-Study-Act quality improvement cycle to continuously evaluate and refine the adapted program and materials to best meet the needs of adults with IDD. Building on feedback from the adapted EF program pilot, Sound Generations incorporated games that gave participants more choice and control over how they engaged in strength training. They also disseminated their updated resources to sites across the United States that were already implementing the original EF program. Evaluation of this adapted EF program with the associated resources indicated increased engagement of participants with IDD in physical activity—while maintaining the evidence-based components of the program. Sound Generations’ efforts supported sites that were already implementing the original EF program to create a more welcoming and accessible space for adults with IDD and created the opportunity for scalable inclusive health promotion programming.

Sound Generations partnered with a YMCA in Maryland to pilot a blended delivery approach that brought together older adults who were already participating in the original EF program, adults with physical disabilities, and adults with IDD. They also continued to refine EF materials and created specific training and implementation resources for YMCAs—a key implementer of the original EF program. These resources, along with a national rollout webinar and template for external organizations to adopt the blended delivery approach, support YMCAs and other community-based organizations across the country to expand access to the blended delivery approach of the EF program.

Organizations interested in learning from Sound Generations’ experience adapting EnhanceFitness for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can contact the team to discuss key learnings and implementation considerations. For more information, contact projectenhance@soundgenerations.org for more information.