Including Children With Disabilities A quick, easy reference for adapting playground, low-organizational and sports activities for children with physical and mental disabilities. Some General Guidelines 1. Consult directly with person/participant with the disability. They know best about their disability and what strategies can be developed to make them feel comfortable. Ask lots of questions and make sure the participant is involved in every step of the inclusion process. 2. Make adjustments to the activity only when necessary. Many people with disabilities require few or only minor adjustments to participate fully in activities. Adaptations should aim to increase the person’s participation, success and enjoyment. Allow the participant to inform you of what he/she needs. 3. Approach inclusion on an individual basis. People with specific disabilities require specific adaptations to be made. Do not approach adaptations using general strategies—this can lead to making unsuitable or redundant adjustments. 4. Reduce new skills down to their smallest components. This allows the participant to master each new skill component individually and build their skill set in a progressive fashion. 5. Approach adaptations as temporary. Consider adjustments made to the activity as a springboard for developing new skills that allow the person to participate more fully and without relying on the adaptation in the future. This prevents the participant from becoming reliant on adaptations when they are actually able to participate without them. 6. Be Fair. Any modifications to the activity should be fair to all participants involved, regardless of ability. Modifications which single out those with disabilities only contribute to isolation and enforce stereotypes. 7. Make sure equipment is available. If adaptations are based on specific equipment, and that equipment is not available, this may limit the participant's opportunities to get involved.

Legend balls of various size, extend # of tries/attempts adjust size of playing weight, colour and texture area lengthen or shorten the give verbal clues and oral Common allow a partner to assist Adaptations playing time prompts mark positions on lower and/or increase size vary the tempo of target playing field

Playground Activities Low Organizational Tag Activities use pool noodles to tag Four Square use beanbags/gator balls to tag allow double bounces Catching Games use 'freezing' and 'unfreezing' to draw larger squares for better use Velcro mits with a tennis ball allow more chances to play mobility and easier shots continuously throw using underhand toss fix player positions in one spot stand close together and move provided 'safe areas' where players use an over-inflated or mishaped ball progressively further apart can go without being tagged stand in front of wall or netting to blindfold half the players, with the Hop Scotch stop missed balls other half as 'buddies' or guides use a large, easily handled marker use a beeper ball allow stepping on lines Frisbee Games allow players to hop on two feet King's Court use games that require players to allow two hops in one square hit target with frisbee, but not to use large, slow moving balls such as use brightly coloured chalk for lines catch it (ex. modified 'Frisbee Golf') beach balls have participants count to five substitute frisbee for a ball in other Schlockey before throwning games: (ex. 'Frisbee Baseball') www.discontinuum.org/What_Is_DG.html variation of hockey played in a 4' x have all players throw with their 8' arena with side and end boards. weakest arm (i.e. 'righties' throw an excellent playground game for with their left) those with limited mobility Relay Races use scooter boards; add innertubes www.mohawkc.on.ca/external/cira/resource.html for extra protection against bumps Follow the Leader use mats pulled along the ground Tetherball perform activity in partners have participants knock objects off allow participants to catch ball on whistle blow, switch leaders cones instead of manuovering set a time limit instead of playing use different movements (example: around them until completion animal movements) use large, padded obstacles Organized Sports Softball Tennis Archery use a batting tee use shorter, lighter rackets use a lightweight bat use larger-head rackets use lightweight bows shorten pitching distance allow a drop serve place wheelchair users on an angle allow wheelchair users to push ball for greater space with the bow stand closer to the net on serve off a ramp, their lap or from a tee www.tenniscanada.com use smaller bows and arrows with suction cups indoors www.activeamp.org/sports/archery.htm Volleyball Table Tennis allow players to catch the ball use larger paddles Basketball allow players to self-toss and set ball use an underhand shot to start volley let assistant hold ball while being hit allow travelling shield edges of table to prevent play the entire game sitting down allow two hand/double dribble balls bouncing off allow more hits in a row per side disregard 3 sec. lane violation have a peer assistant retrieve balls www.volleyball.ca/nats/disabled/history.html frequent substitutions increase # of players Internet Links indie.ca/cwsa use a beeper ball www.ala.ca Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association wheelchairuse a beeper users ball may hold ball in Active Living Alliance for Canadians www7.twu/~f_heuttig/teacher their lap while moving with a Disability (ALACD) Teacher to teacher activity ideas www.nepad.org/factshthtml/basketball.htm www.palaestra.com www.achievableconcepts.com Forum of Sport, Physical Education, & Sports equipment ideas for the diabled Recreation for those with Disabilities cira.mohawk.on.ca Bowling www.nscd.org CIRA Ontario simplify/reduce # of steps National Sports Centre for the Disabled www.intramurals.ca (CIRA National) use two hands instead of one remain in stationary position A World of Opportunity But what hooked Anthony on this use a ramp; bumpers in gutter Arriving at the ice on an early game in the first place? It may have www.awba.org morning, 14 year old Anthony Frisina been positive experiences on the carefully assembles his equipment playground and in gym class during and prepares for hockey practice. It's his school years that helped Croquet October, and the first practice of the encouraged him get involved and season. At any other arena around remain active. "I never wanted any use plastic equipment the city, boys and girls like himself crutches can be modified to be used might be doing the same--arriving as mallets early with their parents, anxious to allow more space between wickets start the season after a summer of eager anticipation. Just like himself; barring one difference that will, in this picture setting, become a surrmountable Golf challenge. As other kids in other use clubs with larger heads arenas lace up their skates, young use shorter/lighter clubs Anthony climbs down off his wheelchair, and onto a sledge. use a tee for all shots special treatment," says Anthony. But shorten distance to the hole Now at 22, Anthony has seen many it was good to know that when www.usga.org/rules/golfers_with_disabilities.html mornings like this one. Since those games like soccer started, his peers first practices, he has shared with his and teachers included him by teammates all the thrilling wins and allowing him to throw and use his Hockey hard defeats that personify the game hands. This co-operative effort was of hockey. Sledge hockey, played something he rediscovered when he use plastic sticks with the rules of the regular game, joined the sledge hockey league. use sleds for all players (sledge hockey) but on ice sleds instead of skates, has www.shoc.ca created opportunities for an active, Sledge hockey "helps people feel social lifestyle for many with physical accepted as part of a team," Anthony disabilities. One simple adaptation-- says, and that is enormously the switching of sleds for skates-- important for those facing the Soccer brings an experience shared by challenges of a disability. Someday, play six-a-side millions of Canadians to a group of Anthony hopes to follow that spirit all use a deflated ball children and adults who otherwise the way to the top and compete at wouldn't get that chance. the Paralympics with the Canadian use a target that emits a noise when National Team. hit reduce size of goal in proportion to CIRA Ontario, P.O. Box 2034 Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3T2 participant's mobility (if goal keeper) p: 905.575.2083 f: 905.575.2264 e: [email protected] www.ampsoccer.org