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View Winners → Encino Studio Brings Workouts to Those With Special Needs
San Fernando Valley Mar 08, 2021
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ENCINO, Calif. — It’s been the year of Zoom, but college student Ethan Epstein has found a way to escape the never-ending screen time through ZOOZ — a workout studio in Encino.
But ZOOZ is far more than a workout studio, and Epstein isn’t a typical college student. He has autism and has faced challenges with speech, cognition, and coordination, he said. He is enrolled in a UCLA program specifically for people with special needs. When he and his mother Jill heard about ZOOZ fitness specializing in working with people like Ethan, they were thrilled, and he was signed up for classes right away.
“It helps me get stronger and change who I am,” Epstein said.
His mother was also relieved the gym and workouts, which happen online or at the studio space in Encino, gave structure to her son’s day.
“It’s not been challenging for Ethan to be at home, it’s just been challenging to find things for him to do, but thanks to ZOOZ, he has something to do,” Jill Epstein said. “We are lucky.”
Jake Weiner, the owner of ZOOZ, has worked with the special needs population for many years. He’s a certified personal trainer and […]
