Integrated Recreational Sport Activity Program

The integrated sport program was funded by the U.S. Department of Education from Oct. 2009 to Sept. 2011 and has been maintained at Western Michigan University since that time. It focuses on serving individuals with disabilities with ecological-based recreational sport and workout activities. With this program individuals with disabilities have opportunities to learn sport and workout activities based on self-initiated task analyses, in which self-initiated steps, movement sequence and performance criteria are included. They will be trained using individualized and data-based methods in an integrated training setting. During the training they will also participate in freely-chosen recreational activities and integrated group activities.

Participants

Participants are young adults with disabilities from the following schools and local community:

• Young Adults Program, a post secondary program at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Kalamazoo, MI.
• Center for Disability Services, a WMU program with the mission of helping people with disabilities live life fully, Kalamazoo, MI.

Local community: If you are not a part of the Young Adults Program or Transition Services and would like to participate, please contact us at (269) 387-2719.

Schedule

For fall and spring semesters:

Monday through Thursday
11 to 11:50 a.m.
Number of participants: 10
Number of trainers: 10
Activity: sport and workout

Seven programming features of this funded project:

Integrated training setting

Young adults with disabilities are the participants and the young adults without disabilities are serving as the project trainers.

Ecological-based program

The target sport and exercise activities for young adults with disabilities are determined by conducting the ecological survey.

Self-initiated task analysis

Each sport activity is adapted and analyzed into meaningful steps focusing on the self-initiation of the targeted sport activity.

Individualized instruction

Based on the task analyses, a young adult with a disability is trained to self-initiate sport activities in an individualized activity plan.

Data-based activity plans

Each self-initiated activity is assessed based on its self-initiated task analysis in each session for planning the next activity plan.

Freely chosen opportunity

Young adults will have freely chosen opportunities to choose their favorite recreational sport and exercise activities to play.

Integrated group activities

The last 15 minutes of each session is focused on playing a cooperative group game or team sport in an integrated training setting.

Trainers

Peer trainers are students who enroll in the follwing courses in special physical education, sports and exercises.

• HPHE 3460—PE Methods for Special Populations: students enrolled in this course are majors or minors in physical education pedagogy.
• HPHE 4910—Exercises for Special Populations: students enrolled in this course are majors or minors in exercise sciences.
• HPHE 2900—Special and Inclusive Recreation: students enrolled in this course are majors or minors in recreation.
• HPHE 7120—Professional Field Experience: students enrolled in this course are majors in special physical education.

Resources for trainers

Learn how to train young adults with disabilities sport and exercise activities:

• Lab orientation and lab rules: you are required to participate in two orientation sessions and follow lab rules at each training session. You can find these in "Overview of the Manual" and "Lab Orientation Schedule" in Lecture slides for training manual.
• How to develop an Individualized Physical Activity Plan: an IPAP is required to be developed for each participant during a semester. You can find a "How to Develop an IPAP" in Lecture slides for training manual.
• How to develop an activity plan: an activity plan is required to be developed for each training session for each participant. You can find "How to Develop an Activity Plan" in Leture slides for training manual.
• How to complete data collection sheet: a data collection sheet is required to be completed during the semester. You can find "How to Complete Data Collection Sheet" in Lecture slides for training manual.

The samples of training sheets and all types of the blank training sheets can be found in the training manual available at the WMU Bookstore at Bernhard Center.

Activity examples

Workout exercises: Strength training, aerobic endurance, flexibility exercise.

Target sport and exercise activities are selected based on ecological surveys.

Team sports: Soccer, wiffle ball, floor hockey, volleyball, basketball.

Dual sports: Tennis, badminton, table tennis, pickle-ball, racquetball.

Individual sports: Bowling, golf, swimming, tumbling, personal cycling.

Pilot investigations

• Effect of an Ecological-Based Program on Teaching Specific Volleyball Skills to Young Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairments
• Physical Fitness Performance of Young Adults With and Without Cognitive Impairments
• Integrated Recreational Sport Activity Program for Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

If you are interested in volunteering, please call project staff at (269) 387-2719 or complete the volunteer form.