"I never really thought that a virtual ride would be that good!": Experiences of participants with disabilities in online leisure-time physical activity during COVID-19.

The study involved one community organization, Adaptive Adventures, so it may not reflect other online programs or organizations. Participants were recruited from the organization's member list, so people already connected to the organization were overrepresented. The sample was mostly veterans, people who were retired or at home, and people with physical impairments; it may not apply to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities or to those with fewer resources. Benefits, facilitators, barriers, and future preferences were self-reported experiences, not objective clinical measurements. The study did not test whether online adaptive LTPA causes improvements in health, participation, or isolation. Survey analyses used different numbers of respondents: 50 for benefits, 68 for barriers, and 104 for support and future questions, so percentages are not directly comparable across questions. The survey items were developed from the interview codes, so they reflect participants' language and experiences rather than measures chosen before the interviews.

Internal funding from the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago was used for the project. One author was funded as a postdoctoral fellow by the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research.

Do not read the reported benefits as proof that online adaptive LTPA improves health, participation, or isolation. The study asked people to describe their experiences and perceptions, and it did not test whether online activity causes these benefits.