Ability, Not Age: Ending Ageist Assumptions in Physical Activity Programming
- erineleu
- Nov 21, 2025
- 2 min read
I’m proud to share a special project that has been months in the making and rooted in the collective expertise of many voices across the active aging field.
The article, “Ability, Not Age: Ending Ageist Assumptions in Physical Activity Programming,” has been published in the Journal of Active Aging. You’ll find the full PDF attached below.
This work grew out of a task force of dedicated professionals, colleagues, thought leaders, and past guests from the AGEnts of Movement podcast who share a commitment to reshaping how our industry views aging. Together, we’ve been asking better questions:
What would programs look like if we designed for capacity, not “old age”?
How would participation change if people felt genuinely seen, capable, and welcome?
How do we build physical activity experiences that promote belonging, autonomy, joy, and confidence, no matter someone’s age?
The result is a call to action for fitness, wellness, and physical activity leaders: It’s time to shift from age-based assumptions to ability-based design.
Age is not a problem. Ageism is.
I hope the article encourages you to reflect on the subtle ways age bias shows up in programming and inspires you to create environments where older adults are treated as fully capable participants, not fragile stereotypes.
A heartfelt thank-you to the task force members, Jojo McDuffie, Cheryl Whitelaw, Laura Dow, Jennifer Winters, Patricia Linderman, Holly Benson, and Lynn Jordan, whose insights and perspective shaped this work. Your voices and collaboration made this article possible.
Listen to a podcast episode where the authors discuss how the paper came to life and the experiences that inspired it.
If this message resonates, please share it with others in your network.
Changing the narrative starts with all of us.
This Journal on Active Aging article appears here with the permission of the publisher, ICAA (www.icaa.cc). All rights reserved.
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