Co-developing a disability-informed competency framework for qualified exercise professionals at entry-to-practice: Reflections from a multi-phase partnership

Competency-based education (CBE) offers a promising approach to improve qualified exercise professionals’ (QEPs) knowledge, skills, and attitudes to support people experiencing disability in exercise settings. In Canada, QEP training rarely includes standardized, disability-specific content, leaving many people experiencing disability to face persistent interpersonal and systemic barriers to participation in exercise. This article shares lessons learned from our first attempt at co-developing a disability-specific competency framework for QEPs at entry-to-practice, using a multi-phase, partnership-based approach that integrated lived experience, practitioner expertise, and research evidence. Drawing on the AGREE II Instrument and a six-step competency framework model, we engaged in iterative reflection, adaptation, and co-design alongside key partners. This paper highlights how the process evolved in response to partner input, shifts in scope, and moments of ethical tension. We conclude by reflecting on the relational, methodological, and structural considerations involved in partnership-based competency framework development and offer lessons to support others pursuing inclusive, evidence-informed training initiatives.