Survey to Assess Accessibility Issues in Wellness
We are gathering short anonymous feedback from providers of decolonial and accessible wellness practices, including yoga, meditation, somatics, retreats, ceremonies and therapy adjacent offerings. We want to understand the structural challenges practitioners face in surviving and thriving in a market dominated by white, abled, commercially driven wellness spaces. Your responses will help us build a decolonial wellness project and strengthen funding applications. This short survey takes about 3 minutes to complete.
Which of the following best describes your role?
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Yoga teacher / instructor / facilitator
Meditation teacher / instructor / facilitator
Somatic practitioner / therapist
Retreat facilitator
Ceremony holder / ritual facilitator
Therapist / counsellor
Psychologist / Psychiatrist
Training provider
Healer / guide
Other
Do you identify as coming from a marginalised background? (Check all that apply.)
With disability / chronic illness
Neurodivergent
Black / racialised / Indigenous / caste-oppressed
LGBTQIA+
Trans / non-binary
Fat / plus size
Migrant / refugee / asylum seeker
Low income
Other
What challenges do you face in offering your work? (Check all that apply.)
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Finding clients / visibility
Competing with larger white dominated platforms or studios
Pricing pressures / undercharging
Venue costs
Marketing and digital visibility
Lack of funding
Burnout / emotional labour
Lack of institutional support
Lack of access to accessible venues
Lack of access to translation / interpretation
Discrimination / racism / ableism / fatphobia
Difficulty staying financially sustainable
Other
What makes it difficult to offer accessible or inclusive practices? (Check all that apply.)
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Costs of adaptations
Time needed for accessibility planning
Lack of training or support
Not enough demand in the market
Payment instability
Client expectations shaped by mainstream wellness norms
White dominant aesthetics or standards
Cultural misunderstanding
Other
What kind of support would help you most? (Check all that apply.)
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Better visibility
A directory/platform for aligned clients
Funding support
Marketing support
Accessibility resources
Community partnerships
Peer networks / referrals
Other
Optional: What is one example of a structural barrier you face in the wellness market? (Check all that apply.)
High cost of studio rent or venue hire in accessible locations.
Lack of affordable, stable spaces in neighbourhoods where my communities actually live.
Major chains and “big brands” dominating locally/internationally, making it hard to connect with participants/clients.
Platforms (Google, Instagram, booking sites) favouring already famous / well resourced brands/folks/ over small community offerings.
Difficulty getting grants or investment for decolonial / community‑led wellness work.
Funding criteria that prioritise biomedical or “mainstream” wellness over ancestral / justice‑centred practices.
Algorithms and search tools that do not allow filtering by identity, access needs, language or cultural safety.
Racism in hiring, promotion or collaborations (e.g., white teachers preferred for studio roles or partnerships).
Homophobia / transphobia in wellness spaces (e.g., misgendering, binary “men’s/women’s” classes, exclusion of trans/non‑binary practitioners).
Ableism (spaces and programmes designed for non‑disabled bodies, with accessibility as an afterthought).
Neurotypical design (lighting, sound, communication styles) that excludes neurodivergent practitioners and participants.
Credentialing bodies and training standards that centre Eurocentric, apolitical curricula and ignore social justice / decolonial content.
Pressures to “tone down” political, anti‑racist, or decolonial work to be “marketable” or “neutral.”
Expectations to offer low‑cost or free work to marginalised communities without structural funding or fair pay.
Lack of childcare, transport support, or flexible scheduling for the communities I serve.
Language barriers (e.g., limited access to translation or interpretation, English‑only platforms).
Visa, residency, or immigration barriers to opening a business, renting space, or accessing formal funding.
Little or no institutional support for safeguarding that explicitly protects BIPOC, queer, trans, disabled communities.
Media and marketing norms that expect thin, white, able‑bodied imagery, making it harder to show real bodies and communities.
Isolation or lack of networks/mentors for decolonial, healing‑justice‑aligned practitioners.
My own precarious income or unpaid labour, limiting the time and energy I can devote to this work.
Other
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