PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL ON FITNESS, SPORTS AND NUTRITION
LAUNCHES I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT! PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

MIAMI, FL—The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) collaborated with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) to announce the launch of the revitalized I Can Do It, You Can Do It! (ICDI) program at Felix Varela Senior High School in Miami, Florida, May 21. The event issued a call to action for national stakeholders to raise awareness about the importance of daily physical activity for individuals with disabilities by implementing ICDI in their communities. PCFSN has expanded ICDI to include youth and adults with disabilities. The goal is to implement the program in 100 new sites nationwide over the next five years.

Based on published research reports, individuals with disabilities have higher rates of overweight/obesity and sedentary lifestyles than their counterparts without disabilities.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates for children and adults with disabilities are 38 percent and 57 percent higher than rates for children and adults without disabilities, and adults with disabilities engage in physical activities on a regular basis approximately half as often as adults without disabilities. 

ICDI is a health promotion program that addresses the need for more children and adults with disabilities to be physically active. ICDI partners with schools and school districts, colleges and universities, and other community entities to provide mentoring programs that facilitate physical activity and nutrition education opportunities, and offers recognition with the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+). PCFSN will provide a comprehensive toolkit to enable site directors and mentors to be successful in providing opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to be active, as well as provides relevant physical activity and nutrition-related resources to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle.  

PCFSN Executive Director Shellie Pfohl joined in the ICDI launch event, honoring over 1,200
M-DCPS students with disabilities by presenting them with PALA+ awards. Students earned PALA+ by participating in ICDI, and engaging in regular physical activity with a mentor during the 2012-2013 school year.

“People with disabilities have the same health needs as everyone else – across their lifespan.  This is one reason that I Can Do It, You Can Do It! is so extraordinary. It encourages opportunities and includes resources for both youth and adults to lead healthy, active lives,” said Pfohl. “But this is just the beginning! There are still so many individuals with disabilities that don’t have access to equal opportunities to be active, and I hope that educators, parents, faith and community leaders and others across the nation will sign up to be an ICDI Advocate and implement the program in their own schools and communities.”

For more information about the I Can Do It, You Can Do It! program, and how to sign up to become an ICDI Advocate, visit www.fitness.gov.

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13-JJS/0121

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