Inclusion Services

Any individual with a disability is eligible to request an accommodation in order to participate as a member of the Y. 

A member, parent, or guardian knows that an individual with a disability may benefit from some additional support(s) within the Y’s facilities or programs. Also a Y team member might identify the need for additional support for safety or program-specific purposes. 

Accommodation requests can be made on all of the Y’s registration platforms: 

Online: Before you check out and complete your registration, you can request an accommodation. 

Paper Forms: Find the accommodation request on your paper form and select ‘Yes’. 

In-person: Notify a YMCA staff member when you register that an accommodation is needed due to a disability. 

Accommodations can be requested at any time during your participation at the YMCA. You can notify your program’s Director, or you can reach out to our Inclusion Department at [email protected].  

Requesting an accommodation connects members, families, or guardians with our Inclusion Department. They will speak with you about the person’s skills, interests, and areas where they need support. The Inclusion Department will then create a plan with ways that the program team can best support this member. These plans offer disability-related resources as well as various strategies to support participation. 

Typically, within 48 hours of a request, the Inclusion Department will reach out to you via email to schedule an Inclusion Connection to discuss accommodations. 

Due to the high volume of requests, scheduling ahead is necessary. This ensures that there is adequate time provided for the connection and discussion (approximately 30 minutes). 

Planning and preparing are essential steps to providing accommodations for an individual. Please understand that accommodations and support may not be immediately available, and the Inclusion Department and program teams will work as quickly as possible to support our members.  

Accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis and may include:  

• Developing an Inclusion Plan for Support 
• Disability-Related Resources to Y Program Teams   
• Providing of American Sign Language Interpreters 
• Offering Lower Staff-to-Participant Program Ratios (Depending on the need and Availability) 

The Y may lower the staff to participant ratio, however the ability to do so depends on the resources available at the time of request. 1:1 support is not guaranteed. 

When available, inclusion aides may be hired to support an individual with disabilities within YMCA programs. Efforts are made to secure staff with special education and/or disability experience; however, aides may have limited or no previous experience. 

Inclusion aides are not provided for non-program purposes, including:

• General Membership and Facility Use
• Birthday Parties or Rentals
• User Group Programming
• Open Gym or Open Swim/Lap Swim
• Fitness Center Use
• Drop-In services (i.e. babysitting; KidZone; Family Activity Center; etc)
• Private Instruction or Tutoring
• Therapeutic Interventions or Respite Services 

Program participants are expected to meet the program eligibility requirements. Program eligibility requirements include: age restrictions, program capacity limits, enrollment fees, and  minimum competencies or prerequisite requirements. 

Program participants are expected to understand and follow the program’s general behavior expectations with or without accommodations.

Program participants are expected to be willing and able to participate in a majority of a program’s activities with or without accommodations.

Program participants are expected to conduct themselves in a safe and appropriate manner within the group setting, with or without accommodations.

No. Any questions regarding program-specific information  including, but not limited to program schedules, content, transportation arrangements, and enrollment and fees - should be directed to the Program Director or Program Coordinator at your enrolled site.   

Absolutely! The Inclusion Department can be reached via email at [email protected].