Specialty gym for people with disabilties opens in Orange County, Calif.

This was mentioned in a Forbes article on the trend toward "niche" market health clubs and gyms:

At the other end of the spectrum is the groundbreaking new Orange County, Calif.-based Goodwill Fitness Center, a gym designed for people with disabilities and chronic diseases. The $7.5 million, 12,000-square-foot facility, which already has 100 members and aims to serve 500, looks to improve people's health without feeling like a medical environment, says Elizabeth Toumajiian, the facility's manager.

Designed (for free) by architect Michael Garvey, who consulted on plans for the Las Vegas Bellagio Hotel, the gym's disabled-friendly equipment is spaced so people in wheelchairs can maneuver between pieces. Mirrors are scarce, since body image isn't the primary focus, but there are also free weights and a yoga studio.

Members work with physical therapists and certified personal trainers to lose weight for a hip replacement, increase their strength to cope with multiple sclerosis or exercise to get off of their diabetes medications. They also can access a technology resource center located upstairs and--a major plus--don't have to worry about being stared at, says Nancy Quarles, vice president of human services for Goodwill of Orange County.

"People like to look at things that are different," says Quarles, who has been wheelchair bound since injuring her spinal cord 40 years ago. "That can be unfortunate for people who are physically disabled."