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Welcome back --- Another school year is beginning and the excitement
to see the students is back. We can’t wait to try out new ideas that
we came up with over the summer. Yes, we love our jobs and believe
that we can make a difference – whether with one student or all the
students we are in contact with each day.
But Wait--- We have a student with a disability in our physical
education class!! This is new. So many questions come into our head.
How did this happen? Why is a student with a disability in my class?
What am I going to do with this student – I don’t have any training
to work with this student? Who can help me out – I don’t have enough
hands to work with a student requiring special attention? How do I
know what to teach this student?
No need to panic or call 911, each of these questions can be answered
and we can still do our jobs successfully and enjoy our classes. Throughout
this page information will be provided to assist regular physical
educators with the “challenge” having students with disabilities in
their classes.
Cindy K. Piletic
Adapted Section Editor
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The benefits of physical education and physical activity for individuals
without disabilities are numerous (improved health and physical fitness,
development of social skills, development of self-esteem and self-
confidence, enhanced academic performance, and the list goes on).
Students with disabilities can experience these same benefits. Experts
recognized this years ago when the federal government enacted the
Education for All handicapped Children’s Act of 1975 and physical
education was included within the definition of Special Education.
Physical education continues to be mandated by federal law today through
the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
of 1990 and the Reauthorizations of IDEA that have followed in the
last 10+ years. More information about IDEA and how it impacts us
as physical educators can be found on a publication created for parents
and families of individuals with disabilities by National Information
Center For Children And Youth With Disabilities (NICHCY)
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| How
did the student get placed in my class? |
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There are a number of reasons that students with disabilities are
placed in physical education classes. A team of individuals including
(i.e. the student, his/her parents, his/her teachers, a school nurse,
a school psychologist, the principal, and special education teachers)
all get together and work to decide upon an educational plan for the
students. As the student is being placed in your physical education
class you should also be there providing input into the plan for the
student. Only you know your classroom or environment, so you can provide
the best input into what is being taught and the goals that you have
for your students. You need to be part of this team!!!
The key is that the environment in which the students is receiving
his/her education. Again, going back to federal legislation – a student
with disabilities’ placement in an educational setting must be the
Least Restrictive Environment for the student.
The LRE varies from student to student based upon many different factors
(i.e. student ability, curriculum, teaching style of teacher, equipment,
grading, assessment, management of behaviors, support personnel, and
program participation). In fact the LRE is considered to be
a continuum of possibilities ranging from a totally segregated setting
outside of the school to fully integrated class or a general physical
education class.
Of course there is the term inclusion. Please recognize that inclusion
is not a term used in any federal legislation. Instead it is a term
used when interpreting the legislation. Still, recent legislation
has stated that students must first be placed in the general education
setting and modifications must be made there. If with modifications
this is not a successful environment for the student a more segregated
environment may be appropriate. It is our job as physical educators
to work for the success of the student in our classes first, making
modifications where ever we can.
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| If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions
about particular topics, please email one of the following Adapted PE
Section Editors: |
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| Making
Modifications - Where to Begin? |
| Recognizing that each student, class, environment, teacher,
etc. is different, the possibilities for modifications are endless.
Modifications could be in the area of equipment, support personnel,
surfaces for activities, rules and objectives of activities, assessment,
grading, teaching styles, and behavior management. For the purposes
of this page the focus of modification will be limited to a couple areas
that modifications can be made. These include: equipment and support
personnel. |
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Just as there are different weights that are used for individuals
with different amounts of strength, the same is true for equipment
for development of fundamental motor skills, sports skills, and lifelong
leisure skills. For example – when teaching object control skills
the list of implements is endless (i.e. yarn balls, modified volleyballs,
balloons, Balzac balls, koosh balls, bean bags, nerf balls, animal
shaped bean bags, audible balls, feathers, hoops and rings, etc.).
Refer to your favorite supplier of equipment (i.e. GOPHER, Sportime,
Flaghouse, Palos Sports)
When doing a activities including different distances – don’t be
afraid to shorten or lengthen distances. When doing outside
activities (softball, flag football, soccer) consider playing them
on a paved surface so that individuals using wheelchairs can move
more freely by themselves.
For more ideas about modifications to equipment refer to PROJECT INSPIRE’S WEB SITE
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Many times there is only one physical educator for 25+ students It
is difficult to provide effective instruction for everyone. Thus,
assistance is needed. Who can HELP???
Consider these folks – other students in class (i.e. peer tutors),
students in upper grades, physical education teacher aides, adapted
physical educators, special education paraprofessionals. It is your
creativity as to how these individuals can assist you and the student(s)
with disabilities. Assistants can provide directions, teaching cues,
positive reinforcement, etc. Assistance can also be gained in setting
up equipment and learning stations. Additionally, the monitoring of
progress can be done by different support personnel.
Remember you are not alone, many people can assist you. When asking
for assistance be sure to provide specific details about duties and
expectations for what needs to be done. Also – always remember to
say thank you!!!
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