In one of my courses we recently went on a field trip where we played Wheelchair Basketball hosted by Northern Adapted Sports. Everyone there had a great time and engaged in all the activities in a really positive way. I think what was really striking for my classmates and I was the universal approach. All of us could participate on equal ground without anyone being more experienced than the others. The activities were also scaffolded so that we built on the skills needed to play in our final game. I really enjoyed the fact that everyone was participating and enjoying themselves and I think the universal approach allowed us to meet on equal footing and put us all out of our comfort zones so that we could learn and play together. This is definitely something I want to bring into my classroom. I want students to feel comfortable and push themselves and sometimes to do this means putting everyone into a situation that no one is familiar with. I saw this in my first practicum as a P.E. teacher got his students to play a game that was a fusion of volleyball and tennis. This new game made it so that no one had any advantages from their past sports but those who were competitive were still able to push themselves. What was really positive was that everyone was participating with almost no students sitting out. I want this to be something that happens in my classroom and is definitely a feature of lesson design that puts students into new situations so they do not feel out of place but still gives them room to push themselves and engage with the activity. The idea of universal design is really important because everyone was able to engage and in wheelchair basketball this meant students with disabilities were able to engage. Everyone was able to play and even though this meant losing the traditional aspects of basketball like running and jumping the game was just as engaging for everyone who participated and allowed people who wanted to compete to push themselves and still play hard. This was a great outing and really showed what inclusivity can be like. When I was a student another student at my school was in a wheelchair, when our school brought in a set of chairs for basketball they were overjoyed. It was one of the first times this student was able to play in games equally with their peers and it was phenomenal to watch. I want this to be something I bring to all my classrooms and allow all of my students access to the lessons and activities so they can equally share in the joy of the class. Universal design is for everyone and through it no one has to lose out but everyone can win.
Photo Credit: Emily Hobley-McCosker
