Hitting the gym: DACC, NMSU kinesiology department collaboration helps students with wellness goals

In 2022, Kay Lilley, a program specialist with Doña Ana Community College, had an idea to work with NMSU to help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Kay leads an innovative and new program at the community college called the Career & Life Skills Academy.

This academy is designed to engage DACC students in exploring careers, self-discovery, work and professional development, and community engagement. This is where NMSU steps in. Kay reached out to the College of HEST’s Kinesiology Department to help her students get physical activity and develop a plan to achieve health and wellness goals.

Patty Mullany, a graduate kinesiology student, jumped at the chance to help. “Lilley was looking for some help and I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for both groups to work together and alongside each other.”

Through this newly formed partnership, Lilley and Mullany developed a plan to help DACC students and NMSU build a relationship on health. Students in the kinesiology physical education program and the adaptive P.E. classes work with students from DACC to share knowledgeable and valuable experiences diving into wellness and health.

DACC students go to work out sessions for one hour, twice a week at the NMSU Activity Center.

“Mullany was interested in giving her students some hands-on experience and we were looking for fitness instruction that could be modified for certain disabilities and physical limitations, Lilley says. “This was a win-win situation.”

“I am grateful that the Career & Life Skills Academy allows the Department of Kinesiology and our wonderful students the opportunity to serve the Las Cruces community by providing physical activity in a safe and supportive environment,” says Chris Aiken, head of the NMSU Department of Kinesiology. 

The Career & Life Skills Academy is designed to also build students' self-confidence. “Going to the gym is intimidating to a lot of us, especially people with disabilities,” Lilley says. “It is also the case that some people with disabilities, like many of us, simply don’t like exercise or at least haven’t found a physical activity they enjoy.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, studies show that physical activity for those with intellectual disabilities improve their physical, psychological and social health. In addition, the Special Olympics lists four major impacts for those adults with disabilities and exercise: improving cardiovascular health, decreasing the risk of obesity, strengthening bones and muscles, and improving mood and mental well-being.  

These studies, coupled with information from the American College of Sports Medicine, find that individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities often face unique barriers when it comes to participating and adopting regular exercise. The organization recommends that instructors tailor exercises, understand physical differences and even travel barriers and offer a unique physical activity to those with disabilities. This can build a rewarding relationship between an instructor and client.

“It is these kinds of relationships that help all of us to learn through empathy and compassion,” Mullany says.

“Patty and her crew made the NMSU Activity Center a fun and safe place to explore various types of exercise, meanwhile gaining exposure to life on a college campus, making social connections, and getting motivated,” adds Kay.

To learn more about DACC’s Career & Life Skills Academy, visit dacc.nmsu.edu. For more information on the College of HEST’s Kinesiology Department, visit kind.nmsu.edu.