Press Room

San Diego, Calif., November 3, 2025 — The American Council on Exercise (ACE), Special Olympics International, and Move to Live More are proud to share early outcomes from the Community Physical Activity Leader (CPAL) course, a free, accessible educational resource designed to equip people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to lead inclusive physical activity in their communities. 

Over a period of approximately six months, more than 400 individuals worldwide, including Special Olympics athletes, have taken the CPAL course. Notably, 95% of participants reported plans to apply what they learned in the course and lead physical activity programs in their communities. 

“CPAL’s outcomes in reach, satisfaction, confidence, and especially inclusion are not only impressive but deeply meaningful. They align perfectly with our mission,” said Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM, ACE Chief Executive Officer. “It’s a powerful testament to what’s possible when organizations with a shared commitment to community empowerment and inclusion work together.” 

“This course aligns with Special Olympics systems change approaches that have found success within the past. We know that the more leaders trained to provide community-based fitness programming that meets the needs of people with and without IDD, the more supportive our communities will be for this population. Most importantly, we’re excited that Special Olympics athletes have taken this course to be able to deliver community-based physical activity programming to their peers,” said Melissa Otterbein, MPH, Director, Fitness & Healthy Lifestyles, Special Olympics International.  

Additional key findings include: 

The CPAL course is available for free online  and includes a specific module focused on working with individuals with IDD, whether as fellow community leaders or participants in community fitness settings. 

“CPAL participants are ready to lead their friends, families, colleagues and neighbors in inclusive physical activity programming, and their leadership will make communities around the world healthier and more active,” said Amy Bantham, DrPH, FACSM, Move to Live More CEO and Founder. 

" I really liked learning new ways to exercise,” said Special Olympics Hawaii Athlete and Health Messenger Ashley Graham. "I use the training I received at my practices and competitions with my fellow athletes. As a Health Messenger for Special Olympics Hawaii, the training was very useful for me.”  

Impact of CPAL on Inclusive and Accessible Physical Activity for Individuals with IDD 

Approximately 1-3% of the global population (about 200 million people) has an intellectual disability (Patel, 2020). People with IDD often lead more sedentary lives and are less physically active compared to the general population. Individuals with IDD are at high risk for developing metabolic syndrome, overweight and obesity, and osteoporosis. 

Through CPAL, Special Olympics, ACE and Move the Live More aim to reduce the barriers to physical activity that people with IDD often face. Beyond fitness alone, these barriers can be personal, social, financial, organizational, and environmental and may include: 

CPAL addresses these challenges by offering practical guidance for safe, inclusive, and effective physical activity programing, along with strategies to engage communities in making fitness more accessible for all.  

This initiative was supported in part by the Special Olympics Systems Change for Inclusive Health Subgrant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents of this project are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services. 

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About the American Council on Exercise (ACE) 

Since 1985, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been the leading non-profit education and certification provider for health coaches and exercise professionals in the United States and around the world. 

With more than 90,000 highly respected certified health coaches and exercise professionals, ACE Certified Professionals are on the ground daily helping people move, stay active and make lasting lifestyle behavior changes to build healthier communities. 

Headquartered in San Diego, ACE collaborates with public health partners to educate people of all backgrounds about the importance of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviors; advocates for public policies to increase physical activity opportunities; and supports scientific research that investigates the efficacy of behavior-change interventions and the effectiveness of exercise practices and trends. Learn more at acefitness.org. 

About Special Olympics International 

 Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global sports movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health and leadership. With more than 4.6 million athletes and Unified Sports® partners and over one million coaches and volunteers in more than 200 countries and territories, Special Olympics offers over 30 Olympic-type sports and delivers more than 60,000 events and competitions each year. Engage with us on: X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Learn more at SpecialOlympics.org. 

About Move to Live More 

Move to Live More is a research and consulting firm helping clients combine evidence-based research with practice for improved communications, policy, and strategy to get people moving.  Founded in 2020 with a mission to help people live healthier, longer, more active lives, Move to Live More works with nonprofit organizations, Foundations and businesses to address chronic disease and physical inactivity through cross-sector collaboration and innovation.