Here are helpful adapted PE teacher resources and inclusion strategies to ensure all of your students have access to physical education. 

<p>As an adapted PE teacher, you&rsquo;re devoted to ensuring ALL students have access to the benefits of physical education. It just comes with the territory! But whether you&rsquo;re new to the field or a seasoned veteran, we can all use a refresher. If you&rsquo;re seeking <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/online-resources-for-ape-teachers">resources</a> and helpful tips on how to adapt activities for students with various disabilities, you&rsquo;re in the right place! We&rsquo;ve compiled inclusion strategies from some of our favorite organizations to help each of your students thrive, whether they have a visual, hearing, physical, intellectual, or developmental disability.</p>

<h2>Adapted PE Inclusion Strategies for Students with Visual Impairments</h2>

<p>American Printing House for the Blind has published a list of <a href="https://sites.aph.org/physical-education/articles/adapted-physical-education-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired/" target="_blank">adapted physical strategies for the visually impaired</a> compiled from The Sports Council, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the NJ Commission for the Blind, and other leading professionals in the field. It&rsquo;s a thorough resource worth bookmarking if you teach students with visual impairments. To individualize these strategies further, learn as much as possible about each student&rsquo;s specific visual impairment, from partial vision to complete blindness, and adapt as needed. Here are some highlights from this valuable resource:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Remove all clutter from the instructional area.</li>
	<li>Limit the play space.</li>
	<li>Let the student explore the physical education area to become familiar with it.</li>
	<li>Show the student the safest routes to and from the different areas in the space.</li>
	<li>Alert the student to any obstacles in open areas, at head height, and on the floor.</li>
	<li>Let the students position themselves where they can see or hear best.</li>
	<li>Always maintain verbal contact with the student.</li>
	<li>Offer arm support during activities.</li>
	<li>Use touch to demonstrate movements.</li>
	<li>Utilize brightly colored equipment (yellow, orange, or white) unless the student requires dark equipment for contrast.</li>
	<li>Use a balloon instead of a ball to slow movement.</li>
	<li>Use either larger or smaller playing objects.</li>
	<li>During tag, put bells on the person who is &quot;It.&rdquo;</li>
	<li>To designate boundaries, vary the floor texture. For example, use a rug or rubber mat to delineate where exercises should be performed or to let the child know they have stepped out of bounds.</li>
	<li>When throwing and catching, provide a sound clue. Also, bounce the ball instead of throwing it directly. Use Nerf balls to lessen the impact when hit with the ball.</li>
	<li>When hitting with a bat, place the ball on a tee and use an oversized whiffle ball and a giant bat. Roll the ball across the floor or a table or place bells inside.</li>
	<li>When running, use a partner who can assist by holding hands, using brush contact, or holding a flexible piece of material to guide the student. Alternatively, have the student hold onto a rope stretched between two points.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Adapted PE Inclusion Strategies for Students with Hearing Impairments</h2>

<p>The Central Institute for the Deaf is a Missouri-based school and teacher training program founded in 1914. Their Emerson Center for Professional Development offers research-based, classroom-trialed practices, educational curricula, and tools, including a helpful resource on <a href="https://professionals.cid.edu/top-6-physical-education-considerations-for-students-with-hearing-loss/" target="_blank">adapted PE strategies for students with hearing impairments</a>. They suggest that teachers:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Gain a thorough understanding of the student&rsquo;s degree of hearing loss. Refer to an audiogram to understand the sounds the child has access to.</li>
	<li>Ensure the student has their hearing loss device and that you know how to troubleshoot it. For example, learn how to change a battery, attach a cochlear implant magnet, insert an ear mold, or put the device in a dri-aid kit should it become wet due to sweat.</li>
	<li>Be mindful of the noise levels outside or in the gym.</li>
	<li>Use an FM system if needed.</li>
	<li>Slow your rate of speech and look at the student when speaking.</li>
	<li>Repeat directions and ensure understanding.</li>
	<li>Anticipate all words associated with the sport that the student might not know, such as serve, swing, and racquet. Demonstrate objects clearly and explain their connection to words.</li>
	<li>Break instructions into small chunks, and use clear, specific language.</li>
	<li>Notify parents, teachers, the audiologist, and the school nurse if a student, particularly an individual with a cochlear implant, gets bumped, falls, or gets hit in the head with an object or by another student.</li>
	<li>Spray slides, parachutes, and playground equipment with static guard or have the student remove their device so that static electricity does not damage the cochlear implant.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Adapted PE Inclusion Strategies for Students with Physical Disabilities</h2>

<p>Physician and Health Education America is a non-profit organization and a go-to resource for educators and others interested in health, physical education, and sports. PHE America has more than 17 years of published materials in their archive, including helpful articles on <a href="https://www.pheamerica.org/2016/making-the-physical-education-environment-handicap-accessible/" target="_blank">making the PE environment accessible</a> and <a href="https://www.pheamerica.org/2014/exercise-program-to-increase-mobility-for-children-with-cerebral-palsy/" target="_blank">increasing mobility in students with cerebral palsy</a>. It&rsquo;s yet another organization you&rsquo;ll want to bookmark! Top tips from PHE America for helping kids with wheelchairs, crutches, canes, or walkers are to:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Ensure students can navigate and access all spaces, including the gym, pool, locker room, doorways, water fountains, and the restroom.</li>
	<li>Keep a clear space between equipment and provide specialized chairs to accommodate students who need to sit while participating.</li>
	<li>Consider sport wheelchairs for increased participation and maneuverability.</li>
	<li>Enlist the help of a paraprofessional or other assistant and ensure they have sensitivity training on interacting with students with disabilities.</li>
	<li>For pools, use pool lifts, transfer steps, sloped entry, and assistance. Also, ensure the deck is uncluttered. For swimming, have the student start from the pool&rsquo;s edge rather than a starting block.</li>
	<li>For playgrounds, provide a smooth path or surface to allow for differences in upper body strength and ensure wheelchairs can move freely.</li>
	<li>For outdoor activities, ensure students have plenty of shade and water, especially those with spinal injury, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy, as these conditions can cause challenges regulating body temperature and dizziness or fainting.</li>
	<li>Use simple terms to describe how a movement, stretch, or motion might feel.</li>
	<li>Use touch to direct, stabilize, or stimulate muscle movement.</li>
	<li>Guide students but encourage them to do much of the work.</li>
	<li>Try exercises like log rolls, arm lifts, lat pulls, back arches, balance, neck rotation, sit-ups, squats, etc., depending on ability.</li>
	<li>Utilize equipment like adaptive bikes or tricycles.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Adapted PE Inclusion Strategies for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities</h2>

<p>Adapted Physical Activity has a YouTube Channel full of adapted PE games and activities for students with and without disabilities. The resource has over 1,900 videos on topics including activities for children, inclusive pedagogy, elementary and secondary education, aquatics for autism, PE assessment and much more. Their video on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8My8RNFqmR0" target="_blank">adapted physical activities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities</a> demonstrates the following strategies:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Use activities like a parachute with multiple balls in the center to break the ice, cooperate, and get to know each other.</li>
	<li>Provide ongoing encouragement and verbal feedback.</li>
	<li>Smile, laugh, and have fun to create a safe and positive environment.</li>
	<li>Teach teamwork and helping each other.</li>
	<li>Teach timing and following the leader by standing in front of students, having them face you and dance, following your movements, and then freezing when the music stops.</li>
	<li>Set up various fitness stations with a leader at each, such as lifting hand weights, passing a ball overhead from partner to partner, performing bridge exercises, push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks.</li>
	<li>Use floatation devices to practice swimming.</li>
	<li>Toss a ball back and forth in the shallow end of a swimming pool.</li>
	<li>Offer direct instruction and discussion on healthy versus unhealthy foods on a whiteboard.</li>
</ul>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thanks for reading our resource on inclusion strategies for adapted PE. We hope you find it a valuable addition to your teaching toolkit! Above all, remember your creativity and problem-solving abilities are your greatest assets when helping your students access the PE curriculum. Your efforts to make PE accessible for all kids will help them thrive in the school environment and beyond.</p>

<h2>What Some of Our Adapted PE Teachers Have to Say</h2>

<h3>Why did you become an adapted PE teacher?</h3>

<p>&ldquo;I became an adapted PE teacher because I love working with kids and am very active myself. Therefore I wanted to be able to merge the two in a fun, fulfilling way. I take so much joy in teaching students motor skills while increasing their confidence and seeing them progress, thrive and have fun doing it!&rdquo; &ndash; <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/lissa-m-adapted-physical-education">Lissa M</a>.</p>

<h3>What have you liked about your experience working at CCE schools?</h3>

<p>&ldquo;The ongoing support and the flexibility are what I&#39;ve enjoyed most about my experience working with CCE. I&#39;ve had the freedom to create schedules that work for me that allow a good work-life balance.&rdquo; &ndash; <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/adapted-physical-education-teacher-darlene-s?category=Provider%20Profiles">Darlene S</a>.</p>

<h3>What kind of advice would you give to someone starting out as an adapted PE teacher?</h3>

<p>&ldquo;One bit of advice I would give someone that is starting out in the APE field is to not be afraid to ask! Whether it be your colleagues, classroom teachers, administrators, students, or parents, don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask questions if you don&rsquo;t know something, and most of the time, they will be more than happy to teach you!&rdquo; &ndash; <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/employee-spotlight---paul-k.">Paul K</a>.</p>

<h2>Are You an Adapted PE Teacher in Search of a New Adventure?</h2>

<p>Are you ready to embark on an exciting new career adventure as an adapted PE teacher? <strong>Explore our </strong><a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/education"><strong>adapted PE teacher jobs</strong></a> at Cross Country Education.</p>



Adapted Physical Education: Inclusion Strategies for Students with Disabilities