American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

 Issue: April 2005

Self-Advocacy in Physical Education for Students with Physical Disabilities
Cathy MacDonald & Martin E. Block

Abstract:
Many educators recommend that students with disabilities learn how to become better advocates for themselves in all aspects of their lives. One area where students with disabilities can learn to become better self-advocates is in physical education. At present, most students with disabilities have accommodations made for them by their teachers, specialists, and assistants. However, in many cases, students with disabilities can learn to effectively advocate for themselves in physical education in terms of what they should learn (IEP objectives), how they should be accommodated, and when they need to rest or be active. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of self-advocacy for students with disabilities into physical education. The article begins with a case study that followed a student with a physical disability in general physical education and shows how she learned to become a self-advocate. The article concludes with some general recommendations on how to help students with disabilities become self-advocates in physical education.

Article category: Inclusion