From building a facility with accessibility in mind to creating programs designed to ease gym anxiety, Portland State University’s Campus Rec department is striving for inclusivity for all.
For Portland State University (PSU), an inclusive and welcoming campus recreation environment isn’t just a bonus — it’s a core value that guides every decision, policy and program.
“Inclusion is one of our six values and at the core of our culture and everything we do,” said Jenny Welnick, the director of Campus Rec at PSU. “We believe everyone has the right to feel welcome and participate in health and well-being opportunities. We embed inclusion into our spaces, programs, equipment, staff training, policies and decisions.
When PSU opened the new Rec Center in 2010, the team had the opportunity to design with universal access in mind. They worked closely with students, campus partners and organizations such as Adaptive Sports Northwest to identify needs. The initial emphasis was on supporting students and members with disabilities, often going beyond ADA requirements.
Thanks to student feedback and support, PSU hired an Adaptive Rec coordinator, a role that evolved into an Inclusive Rec coordinator as the program’s mission expanded.
“This change occurred as we shifted our focus to more broadly support inclusion to address the variety of reasons our students and members faced barriers to accessing recreation and well-being,” said Welnick.
Creating an inclusive campus rec environment isn’t the job of just one staff member at PSU — Welnick believes it’s everyone’s responsibility. All employees receive thorough training on the department’s values, common barriers in recreation and how to support inclusion in daily interactions. Each functional area also gets specialized training, such as climbing center staff learning to work with adaptive equipment, or group fitness instructors practicing inclusive cueing.
While the building was built with accessibility in mind, PSU continues to adapt over time to meet evolving needs. Some additions include a quiet weight room space with smaller equipment, an all-user bathroom to support people with care attendants or families, improving signage and purchasing equipment to better serve diverse body types.
Student and member feedback is vital for the campus rec department. Welnick said many of their changes have resulted from student input — including the idea for the Rec Buddies program.
This program matches students who are new to the Rec Center with a staff member and another student to help them learn their way around, discover what movement works for them and generally increase their comfort and decrease gym anxiety.
When it comes to barriers, PSU has faced its fair share. A previous round of budget cuts resulted in the need to reduce professional staff support for inclusive recreation. While this could have slowed their progress, Welnick credits the program’s resilience to the strong community they built over the last 10 years.
For Welnick and the campus rec department at PSU, offering adaptive and inclusive recreation isn’t about checking a box — it’s about fulfilling the mission of Campus Rec.
“Many of our departments are funded through fees all students pay, rather than a select few,” she said. “We have an incredible opportunity and obligation to reach as many students as possible and influence their lifelong habits and connection to health and wellbeing.”
Her advice to other campus rec professionals is simple: start where you are.
“Talk to campus partners and students and see what the needs are,” she said. “Look at what you can do in the short, medium and long term. Look at what you’re already doing. Likely, many of these things you are doing are already inclusive, but maybe they need to be branded differently or communicated to folks.”
At PSU, this mindset has transformed inclusion from a single initiative into a core part of the department’s identity — one that continues to grow and invites every student to feel like they truly belong.
