At HealthMPowers, we hold ourselves accountable to core values, among them: breaking down barriers to health equity. In partnership with communities, we strive to dismantle systemic obstacles by creating educational opportunities that elevate all voices — particularly those of youth — to drive meaningful change.
Our commitment to making physical activity resources accessible for all children and youth took on new urgency with the introduction of our DEIA rubric.
The DEIA Rubric: Guiding Our Equity-Based Decisions
To ensure our programs and resources uphold our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, we developed a DEIA rubric — a tool designed to bring DEIA-focused thinking into every aspect of our work. The rubric is designed to be simple and universal, guiding every staff member to prioritize DEIA in program design and evaluation.
Trained across our organization, staff utilize the rubric consistently, asking critical questions that center equity: “How do we know if we are living into our values?” This touchstone tool prompts us to examine each stage of program planning, implementation, and resource development, ensuring that our actions reflect the core values we hold.
Spotlight on Accessibility: The Jump Rope Kit Collaboration with BlazeSports America
Lead Health Educator, K-12
HealthMPowers
With a renewed focus on accessibility, our K-12 team, led by Alex Robinson, Lead Health Educator, recognized the need to enhance all physical activity resources for inclusivity.
Alex recalls, “The Jump Rope Kit is an amazing resource that’s been used by HealthMPowers for over 15 years, but we realized it had been lacking in accessibility. Given its popularity, we decided to start with it. We wanted to add modifications to make the kit accessible for students of all abilities, while also enhancing it with more diverse illustrations, helpful tips, and shapes, and sizes to better reflect the communities we serve.”
To bring this vision to life, Alex reached out to BlazeSports America, known for empowering youth and veterans through adaptive sports. She was connected with Nate Edwards, Youth Program Coordinator, and Savannah Carter, Adaptive Sports and Vocation Coordinator. The two Blaze representatives joined the HealthMPowers’ K-12 team for a series of brainstorming sessions. Their goal was clear: to adapt the Jump Rope Kit so that children of all physical abilities could engage in meaningful physical activity.
Nate was impressed by HealthMPowers’ thoughtful approach. “I thought the initial kit was very well done,” he said, acknowledging the strong foundation the team had established for updating the kit. “I thought we’d come into the sessions and HealthMPowers would say here’s a kit that we’ve created and we have no idea how to present it to schools or a group of kids with physical disabilities, but there had already been a lot of work done by the K-12 team beforehand.”
Savannah noted, “My first impression was that the Jump Rope Kit felt welcoming and easy to pick up and understand immediately.”
Together, the team tackled critical accessibility challenges, considering the diverse needs of students.
Savannah shared, “When you actually start thinking about jumping rope, you realize you need two arms and good leg coordination. We had to think outside the box on some modifications.”
The sessions focused on finding solutions for visible disabilities, such as individuals using wheelchairs or missing limbs, as well as less noticeable challenges, like vestibular and balance issues that can arise with conditions such as cerebral palsy.
Nate commented, “A lot of what we initially discussed focused on ‘big disabilities’—the kinds that are more visible. As we got deeper into the project, we began considering other challenges, like sensory or auditory limitations.”
Through this collaboration, BlazeSports America helped guide new accessibility features that make the Jump Rope Kit an inclusive tool for all. One key adaptation was to advise the HealthMPowers team to invest in adding cordless jump ropes to the kit. These can be used by children with physical disabilities who can’t jump, or by younger students who need to practice turning the rope before adding in the jumping component.
Success in Schools
All HealthMPowers’ schools who are completing the MOVE, portion of program have been sent the updated kits, and the initial reaction has been great.
“Our schools have been so excited to receive the updated kits, especially with the addition of the cordless ropes. It’s been amazing to see how excited they are. A teacher at one of my APS schools, Deerwood Academy, commented that he had a lot of students who could benefit from the cordless ropes. Instead of standing on the sidelines while they teach jump rope skills, they are able to fully participate.
Alex adds, “Our DeKalb County Schools were in awe of the kits…and again…the cordless ropes. They were so thankful to be able to have the cordless ropes because it allows more students to be able to participate, fosters teamwork, a sense of belonging, and confidence.”
An Unexpected Success: Broadening the Kit’s Reach
Reflecting on the journey of adapting our resources for accessibility, one of the most significant successes has been the expanded reach of the Jump Rope Kit. Originally designed as a K-12 resource, the kit has proven adaptable across multiple settings and age groups. Project Director Alex Robinson emphasizes, “The Jump Rope Kit isn’t just a K-12 resource; it’s an organization-wide tool that can be adapted for different audiences.” This versatility reinforces the value of collaborative, inclusive design that allows every HealthMPowers team to share and use the resource effectively.
Continuing the Journey Toward Equity and Inclusion
At HealthMPowers, we’re proud of the strides we’ve made toward making health and physical activity resources more accessible and inclusive. The collaboration with BlazeSports America and the updates to the Jump Rope Kit represent just one step in our ongoing commitment to health equity. Through partnerships and intentional design, we’re ensuring that every child—regardless of ability or background—can engage in meaningful, inclusive physical activity.
Building on the success of the Jump Rope Kit project, we’re extending our commitment to accessibility across all HealthMPowers resources. We’re focused not only on making physical activity resources more inclusive but also on ensuring that our nutritional resources and video content meet the diverse needs of our communities.
With invaluable partnerships like the one we have with BlazeSports America, we’re excited to continue this journey. Outside of creating more inclusive physical activity resources, Savannah shared an important final message on inclusivity:
“It’s important to keep these conversations going because the more you talk about it, the more you understand. And then you begin to realize that it doesn’t have to be complicated. There are simple modifications that can be made to any activity.”
Nate adds, “That’s so true. My experience is that people with disabilities don’t want activities designed specifically for people with disabilities. They want to play basketball, or tennis, or golf. So the question simply becomes, ‘Okay, what can we do to adapt this activity?’”
At HealthMPowers, we’re proud of the strides we’ve made toward making health and physical activity resources more accessible and inclusive. Building on the success of the Jump Rope Kit project, we’re extending our commitment to accessibility across all HealthMPowers resources. We are not only focused on making physical activity resources more inclusive but also ensuring that our nutritional resources and video content meet the diverse needs of our communities.
With invaluable partnerships like the one we have with BlazeSports America, we’ve taken important steps to ensure every child, regardless of their abilities or background, can engage in meaningful, inclusive health activities.
More on BlazeSports and how to become involved.
Join Us!
Download the newly updated Jump Rope Kit, try out some activities, and share a video showcasing your new jump rope skills. We’d love to see you in action. Download the Jump Rope Kit here and submit your video via email to Marketing@HealthMPowers.org.
Thank you for supporting HealthMPowers as we continue to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in everything we do.
