I wrote this article for a magazine 10 years ago - and the foundation of it remains true.
Embrace the oops
Work together to find the magic
Focus on strengths not labels and assumption
Take a risk
Be curiously kind
"ADAPTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS
Submitted by Brandi Heather, Adapted Physical Activity and Play Development Specialist
"I often remind my students that in adapted physical education, and life, nothing great happens until they start to understand themselves: what they love, what they fear, where they have been and where they want to go.
So many people ask about tools that will help them work in the physical education setting with children who live with disabilities, and I have lots of ideas – thousands in fact - I am a walking idea factory. However, every one of these ideas came from trying and failing 4000 times in order to find what would work.
My willingness to be wrong, find solutions and learn from it is what makes me good at my job.
Last week I found myself trying to adapt a locomotor station for a kiddo in our community adapted physical activity class who uses a wheelchair, and the safety bar got stuck every time they tried to go over the "obstacle". The child insisted they could go around the obstacle in the course ----but the magic doesn’t come from going around – the magic comes when we find a way to help everyone get “over and through.”
To make this happen, the whole class became designers, engineers and builders. We tried yoga mats, cardboard, pool noodles, momentum, etc., and in the end we created a bridge of cut pool noodles to make a mini ramp that the student using the chair could get over… its like watching magic happen - and it just continued...
One of the other children grabbed a scooter board and one by one everyone used the wheels to go over the ramp - my college students and the kids worked together at every station - I and I stood back and watched.
Everyone was wildly engaged, using strength, locomotor skills, cooperation, teamwork, etc. If you see every “obstacle” as impossible, you will never find the magic in the opportunity.
I always love connecting with teachers and practitioners and finding out how they are failing AND finding the magic – because if you are willing to be wrong then you are going to be fine!
BUT IN ORDER TO FIND THE MAGIC IN ALL KIDS, YOU WILL FIRST HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM SEEING THE MAGIC.
I often ask college students and educators these questions:
Do you worry about making mistakes?
Do you fear saying something wrong?
Do you lack experience working with students with disabilities?
I have a secret that many people don’t share – it’s alright to have fear AND it’s alright to not know all the answers.
Let’s have honest conversations about the diverse needs of every student, about large class sizes and managing an ever-changing expectation that we “know all the answers.” The expectation that we will know all the adaptations, modifications and strategies is one of the biggest barriers to being creative and finding solutions.
Like building a house, let’s start with the foundation and get some solid conversations started about the challenges and opportunities that inclusive physical activity spaces can provide. Let’s build strong support in understanding, connection, knowledge and strategy sharing and get away from standardized ways of thinking.
Take a risk, ask a question, be curiously kind, ask the student what they need, connect with their support and ask what works best. Consider first the students strengths – physically, cognitively, socially and behaviourally and build your house on that – not diagnosis, not assumption."
The future of working together is adaptable.
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