Strategies for Inclusion: Physical Education for Everyone

Since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975, the process of including students with disabilities in general physical education classes has become a reality for school districts. Unfortunately for many students with disabilities, the transition from traditionally segregated classrooms to supportive, inclusive environments has been a continual struggle for all parties involved.

Strategies for Inclusion, Fourth Edition With HKPropel Access, facilitates a smooth transition and continues to raise the bar for successful integration of students with disabilities into general and adapted physical education settings. Its practical and easy-to-implement planning and assessment strategies make this a complete resource for current and future K-12 PE teachers.

The fourth edition provides background information and a clear road map for successful inclusion of students with disabilities in physical education settings. It offers 38 teachable units, complete with assessment tools and step-by-step guidelines for curriculum planning. Each unit contains an assessment rubric and provides ideas on how to incorporate objectives from the student’s individualized education plan (IEP). Adaptations and accommodations are also included in each unit and are divided into the categories of environment, equipment, instruction, and rules. The inclusive curriculum includes the following:

• 10 elementary units for basic skills such as balance and object control
• 11 sport units for team sports such as basketball and golf
• 5 health and fitness units, including swimming and weight training
• 12 recreation and life skills units such as paddleboarding and dancing

Each chapter of the text includes an opening scenario designed to help the reader explore their thoughts and feelings regarding various aspects of inclusion and adapted physical education. Teaching tips and ready-to-use forms, charts, and strategies are included, as well as a brand-new chapter on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborative practices to promote student engagement. In places where the SHAPE America National Standards for K-12 Physical Education are mentioned, they have been updated to the latest revision of the standards.

In addition, the fourth edition now offers five ready-to-use PowerPoint training modules, delivered in HKPropel, that instructors or administrators can use for in-service workshops for their students or staff. Teachers will be empowered to advocate for themselves and their students with disabilities to receive the necessary supports that enable all students to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. The training module topics include

• assessments,
• universal design for learning,
• Lieberman-Brian Inclusion Rating Scale for Physical Education (LIRSPE) intervention,
• paraeducator training, and
• peer training.

Strategies for Inclusion offers the most up-to-date and useful strategies to include children with disabilities in physical education classes. With it, physical and adapted physical educators will help empower all students with the knowledge that anything is possible and that their goals can be achieved through understanding, cooperation, and creativity.

Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is included with all new print books.

Lauren J. Lieberman, PhD, is a distinguished service professor at State University of New York, College at Brockport. She has taught higher education since 1995 and previously taught at Perkins School for the Blind. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in adapted physical education.

Lieberman has written 24 books on adapted physical education and more than 210 peer-reviewed articles. She started Camp Abilities, an overnight educational sports camp for children with visual impairments. This camp is now replicated in 20 states and eight countries. She was awarded a Global Fulbright Scholarship in fall 2019 to replicate Camp Abilities in Ghana, Ireland, and Brazil.

Lieberman is past chair of the Adapted Physical Activity Council (APAC). She is currently on the board of the division of recreation and sport for the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, and she has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness and Palaestra. In her leisure time, she enjoys ultimate Frisbee, biking, running, kayaking, hiking, pickleball, reading, and playing the guitar.

Cathy Houston-Wilson, PhD, is a professor at State University of New York, College at Brockport, and also serves as chairperson for the department of kinesiology, sport studies, and physical education. She has taught in higher education since 1993, teaching classes in adapted physical education and pedagogy. She is a frequent presenter on adapted physical education (APE) at conferences and workshops and provides in-service training on APE to school districts across New York State. Houston-Wilson has taught APE in a residential facility as well as in public schools.

She is past president of the adapted physical education section of New York State AHPERD, and she is past president and a current board member of Phi Epsilon Kappa. In addition, she is actively involved in a variety of community-based activities, including Lifetime Assistance, an agency dedicated to serving individuals with developmental disabilities; Brockport Community Rowing Club, a club of which she is president and a founding member; and Camp Koinonia, a faith-based camp for families for which she serves as president of the board of directors.

Michelle Grenier, PhD, is a professor emeritus from the University of New Hampshire. She has extensive experience working in the field of adapted physical education, using inclusive pedagogies that address the needs of all students. She has published several books, including Universal Design for Learning in Physical Education, Physical Education for Students With Moderate to Severe Disabilities, and Physical Education for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comprehensive Approach. Grenier is internationally recognized for her work on inclusive practices and disability sports. She recently served as president for the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID).