Chapter 3 Adapted Sport 3 Adapted Sport Michael J. Paciorek C H A P T E R

Chapter 3 Adapted Sport

3

Adapted SportAdapted Sport

Michael J. Paciorek

C H A P T E R

Learning Objectives

• Describe the difference between adapted sport and regular sport and provide examples of the five levels within the sport integration continuum.

• Describe how the IEP can be used to foster inclusion by including interscholastic sport programming.

• Give examples of and describe the difference between unisport and multisport organizations.

(continued)

Learning Objectives (continued)

• Describe the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and the role of the United States Olympic Committee in relation to adapted sport.

• Describe the purpose and various methods used in sport classification for individuals with disabilities.

• Describe the responsibilities of schools and community agencies in providing adapted sport programming and the role played by the physical educator in promoting adapted sport programming.

Should Jeffrey Run?

Jeffrey is an 11th-grade student who requested that his desire to run cross country for his high school be placed in his individual education program (IEP). Jeffrey’s school district denied this request and refused to let him run cross country because he had passed the age limit (18) set by his state high school athletic association. Jeffrey requested a due process hearing because he felt his rights were violated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Jean-Michel CousteauFreedom in Depth

HSA International, 1984

“Having a physical disability is not the same as being disabled. Failing to make that distinction, we leave out the most important ingredient in human achievement, the desire in each of us to strive for the best we can be. Everyone lives in an age of opportunities and technological advances, and yet our most marvelous and moving experiences are still those victories of will and spirit against seemingly insurmountable odds.”

Barriers to Participation in Sport for Individuals With Disabilities

• Tendency toward sedentary living

• Lack of knowledge of fitness concepts

• Program and facility accessibility

• Heredity factors

• Fear of failure

• Poor nutritional habits

Benefits of Sport for Individuals With Disabilities

• Health and fitness

– Secondary conditions can be minimized.

• Psychological value

– Often the road to fulfillment begins when people realize that activity can be maintained.

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Benefits of Sport for Individuals With Disabilities

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• Societal normalization

– Public awareness of capabilities occurs through the medium of sport and integration of athletes with and without disabilities.

• Sport for sport’s sake

– Participation for the sake of enjoyment.

Sport Integration Continuum

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Sport Integration Continuum (continued)

• Level 1

– Regular sport setting

– Integrated participation

– No accommodation needed

• Examples

– Athlete with cognitive impairment running 800 m race for high school team

– Athlete with amputation playing on youth baseball team

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• Level 2

– Regular sport setting

– Integrated participation

– Some accommodation needed

– No undue advantage given to athlete

• Examples

– Blind bowler using a guide rail

– Professional golfer Casey Martin using cart to get around course

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• Level 3

– Regular and adapted sport setting

– Partial or full integrated participation

– Coacting with or competing against athletes without disabilities

• Examples

– Wheelchair racer competing against or with runners without disabilities

– Wheelchair tennis player playing alongside ambulatory teammate

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– Special Olympics Unified Sports

– Part time in regular sport or part time in adapted sport

– Blind powerlifter (regular sport), goalball (adapted sport)

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• Level 4

– Athletes with and without disabilities participating in modified version of sport

– All using adapted equipment or rules

• Examples

– Ambulatory and wheelchair users playing wheelchair basketball

– Athletes with and without visual impairments playing goalball

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• Level 5

– Regular and adapted sport setting

– Totally segregated participation

– Competing only against athletes with disabilities

• Examples

– Special Olympics (except Unified Sports)

– Paralympics, Deaflympics

– Challenger Division of Little League Baseball

Origins of Disability Sport

Never check the actions of the blind child; follow him and watch him to prevent any serious accidents, but do not interfere unnecessarily; do not even remove obstacles which he would learn to avoid by tumbling over them a few times. Teach him to jump rope, to swing weights, to raise his body by his arms, and to mingle, as far as possible, in the rough sports of the older students. . . . Do not too much regard bumps upon the forehead, rough scratches, or bloody noses, even these may have their good influences. At the worst, they affect only the bark, and do not injure the system, like the rust of inaction. (Samuel Gridley Howe, 1841)

Origins of Adapted Sport• 1800s to 1940

– Samuel Gridley Howe, Perkins Institute

• Influence of WWII

– Stoke Mandeville Hospital: Aylesbury, UK, Dr. Ludwig Guttman

– National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA)

– National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA/WASUSA)

• Influence of Vietnam War

– National Handicapped Sports and Recreation Association (NHSRA, NHS, DS/USA)

• 1990s and vertical integration with U.S. national governing bodies (NGBs)

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Origins of Adapted Sport (continued)

• Influence of legislation

– PL 93-112 Rehabilitation Act of 1973

– PL 94-142 IDEA (transition services) 1975

– PL 95-606 Amateur Sports Act of 1978

– PL 101-336 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

– PL 105-27 Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (1998)

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Origins of Adapted Sport (continued)

• PL 95-606 Amateur Sports Act of 1978 and PL 105-27 Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (1998)

“To encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletic programs and competition for amateur athletes with disabilities, including where feasible, the expansion of opportunities for meaningful participation by such amateur athletes in programs of athletic competition for able-bodied athletes” (USOC Constitution, 1998)

Community-Based U.S. Multisport Organizations

• BlazeSports National Disability Sports Alliance (BSNDSA)

• Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA)

• Disabled Sports USA (DS/USA)

• Special Olympics, Inc. (SOI)

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Community-Based U.S. Multisport Organizations (continued)

• United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)

• USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF)

• Wheelchair and Ambulatory Sports, USA (WASUSA)

International Adapted Sport Federations

• Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA)

• International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID)

• International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA)

• International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD or CISS)

• International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS)

• Special Olympics, Inc. (SOI)

Multisport Organizations and International Federations

Selected Unisport Adapted Sport Organizations

• Achilles Track Club (ATC)

• American Amputee Soccer Association (AASA)

• Handicapped Scuba Association International (HSA International)

• North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA)

• United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA)

• United States Sled Hockey Association (USSHA)

School and Community-Based Sport Initiatives

• 1992: Metro Association for Adapted Athletics (MAAA) becomes a member of the Minnesota State High School League.

• 1992: The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) develops a partnership with Special Olympics to offer Unified Sports programming. Participation is open to all public and parochial schools.

• 1996: The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP) begins in Georgia.

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School and Community-Based Sport Initiatives (continued)

• 2001: AAASP partners with Georgia High School Association.

• 2003: AAASP begins Project ASPIRE to promote adapted sport model throughout the country.

• 2008: Maryland passes Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act.

Sport Classification Systems

• The purpose of classification in sport is to allow for a fair and equitable starting point for competition.

• Issues in adapted sport classification include the following:

– Ability should be the deciding factor in competition, not disability.

– Each disability group has its own classification system.

– Event-management issues arise, such as too many heats.

– Public is confused.

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Sport Classification Systems (continued)

• Medical

– Verifies minimum disability.

– Not concerned with the functional ability of the athlete .

– Provides a medically related equal starting point for competition.

• Examples

– Level of visual acuity for a blind athlete

– Level of spinal cord injury

– Location of an amputation

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• Functional

– Identifies how an athlete performs specific sport skills.

– Combines medical information with performance information.

– Evaluates an athlete's sport-specific skills needed in an athletic event in addition to the medical condition.

– Function is primary and medical is secondary.

• Example: Athletes with cerebral palsy observed by classifiers performing their sport to determine range of motion and physical capabilities prior to classification

Sport Classification Systems (continued)

• Class A1 Double Above Knee (AK)

• Class A2 Single Above Knee (AK)

• Class A3 Double Below Knee (BK)

• Class A4 Single Below Knee (BK)

• Class A5 Double Above Elbow (AE)

• Class A6 Single Above Elbow (AE)

• Class A7 Double Below Elbow (BE)

• Class A8 Single Below Elbow (BE)

• Class A9 Combined upper and lower

Sport Classification Systems: Amputees

• Class B1: No light perception in either eye up to light perception and inability to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction

• Class B2: From ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to visual acuity of 20/600 or a visual field of less than 5 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction

• Class B3: From visual acuity above 20/600 and up to visual acuity of 20/200 or a visual field of less than 20 degrees and more than 5 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction

• Class B4: From visual acuity above 20/200 and up to visual acuity of 20/70 and a visual field larger than 20 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction

Sport Classification Systems: Visual Impairments

• Eight sport classes based on functional ability

• Classes 1-4: Wheelchair users

• Classes 5-8: Ambulatory

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Sport Classification Systems: Cerebral Palsy

• Class 1: Power wheelchair users. Athletes experience movement difficulties that affect the entire body. Typically the athlete cannot propel a manual wheelchair and often has difficulty altering sitting position.

• Class 2 (upper/lower): Propels wheelchair unassisted on level surface (may use legs).

• Class 3: Propels wheelchair independently. Athletes are wheelchair users and have one affected upper limb. Typically the athlete has a limited range of shoulder movement and a marked difference in the function of the arms; can propel a manual wheelchair.

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Sport Classification Systems: Cerebral Palsy (continued)

• Class 4: Highest wheelchair class—athletes are wheelchair users whose arms are not affected.

• Classes 5A and 5B: Uses assistive device (walker or crutch) to ambulate during competition.

• Class 6: Ambulates without aids (balance problems); athletes are ambulatory with all four limbs affected.

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• Class 7: Marked asymmetrical action (hemiplegia). Achilles tendon shortened; athletes are ambulatory with the arm and leg on the same side affected.

• Class 8: Highest functioning level of CP. Athletes have minimal disability. Typically, the athlete will have good balance and only slight coordination problems; the disability is more obvious during exertion.


• Dwarf Athletic Association of America: Under the height of 5 ft (152.4 cm) because of medical condition referred to as dwarfism

• USA Deaf Sports Federation: 55 dB or greater hearing loss in the better ear

• Special Olympics

– Age

– Gender

– Performance (determined by prescreening)

Sport Classification Systems: Organizations

• Players are classified according to their level of functional ability (i.e., what muscles they are able to use in performing basketball skills—shooting, passing, rebounding, pushing, and dribbling). Classifiers observe a player's functional ability while he or she performs the assigned skills and then assign the player a classification or point score based on their observations. The classification or point score is specific to basketball only.

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Sport Classification Systems: Wheelchair Basketball

• Class I—Complete motor loss at T7 or above or comparable disability where there is total loss of muscle function originating at or above T7.

• Class II—Complete motor loss originating at T8 and descending through and including L2, where there may be motor power of hips and thighs. Also included in this class are amputees with bilateral hip disarticulation.

• Class III—All other physical disabilities as related to lower extremity paralysis or paresis originating at or below L3. All lower-extremity amputees are included in this class except those with bilateral hip disarticulation. (See class II.)

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Sport Classification Systems: Wheelchair Basketball (continued)

Team balance

• Each classification will be given a numerical value or factor as follows:

– Class I = 1 value point.

– Class II = 2 value points.

– Class III = 3 value points.

(continued)


Team balance

• Athletes with a low point value are more limited in their ability to perform the required basketball skills than are athletes with a higher point score.

• The point score system ensures that the five players on the court have a variety of point scores, ranging from low (more severely disabled) to high (minimal disability). At no time in a game shall a team have players participating with a total of value points greater than 12, nor more than three class III players playing together at the same time.

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Because of the basketball classification system, it is possible for athletes with different disabilities (e.g., spinal paralyzed versus cerebral palsy) to be assigned the same point score or classification. This is because classifiers look at the athlete’s ability to perform the required skills rather than at his or her disability.

Cross-Disability Sport Classification Systems

• Designed to place athletes with different disabilities together for competition (e.g., cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, dwarfism).

• Criteria are developed based on each sport.

• Advantages include the following:

– Makes meet management easier.

– Public may be less confused.

– Allows for competition in areas where few disabled athletes reside.

• Disadvantage: Might discriminate against certain disabilities by making disability a factor as opposed to ability.

Role of the Physical Educator in Adapted Sport

• Realize that community recreation programs and extracurricular activities provide an excellent means to extend physical education programs into the community.

• Speak with students and parents concerning their interests in sport and leisure pursuits. The goals of adapted physical education should be tied to the functional needs of the students.

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Role of the Physical Educator in Adapted Sport (continued)

• Ensure that through physical education classes, students with disabilities have developed the appropriate functional motor skills and knowledge they need to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. Focus primarily on lifelong activities.

• Ensure activities are modified to allow participation for students who cannot perform a skill because of a disability.

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• See that students without disabilities are educated about the capabilities of athletes with disabilities through watching videos or adapted sport.

• Develop a resource file of adapted sport programs within and outside of the community and to tell parents and students about these resources.

• Contact the state or national governing bodies related to sports to obtain information on available programs for athletes with disabilities.

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• List appropriate resources on your Web site and place links so that students and families can access important information.

• Work within the school district to help develop intramural, competitive sport, and recreation programs for students with disabilities. Approach area schools and combine students if necessary to develop teams.

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• Place adapted sport goals and objectives on the individual education program (IEP) when appropriate and reasonable.

• Appreciate the skill levels that individuals with disabilities can attain with training and encouragement.

What About Jeffrey?

Jeffrey’s request was upheld by the courts. According to the ruling, under applicable federal statutes and regulations, the IEP team, and not the state high school athletic association, is charged with the responsibility to determine the need for a student with a disability to participate in interscholastic athletics. Where state rules conflict with, or are more restrictive than, IDEA and thereby operate to prevent compliance with IDEA, such conflicts shall be resolved in favor of IDEA (Siegel, 2000; Stewart, 2001). Insofar as state high school rules are more restrictive than IDEA and thereby operate to prevent compliance with IDEA, Jeffrey is not obligated follow them. Waiver procedures need to be enacted regarding age limitations.

Documents

Chapter 3 Adapted Sport 3 Adapted Sport Michael J. Paciorek C H A P T E R