• Larger/lighter bat
• Use of velcro
• Larger goal/target
• Mark positions on playing field
• Lower goal/target
• Scoops for catching
• Vary balls (size, weight, color, texture)

• Demonstrate/model activity
• Partner assisted
• Disregard time limits
• Oral prompt
• More space between students
• Eliminate outs/strike-outs
• Allow ball to remain stationary
• Allow batter to sit in chair
• Place student with disability near teacher

• Decrease distance
• Use well-defined boundaries
• Simplify patterns Adapt playing area (smaller, obstacles removed)

• Change locomotor patterns
• Modify grasps
• Modify body positions
• Reduce number of actions
• Use different body parts

• Vary the tempo
• Slow the activity pace
• Lengthen the time
• Shorten the time
• Provide frequent rest periods

Softball:

• Use velcro balls and mitts
• Use larger or smaller bats
• Use a batting tee
• Reduce the base distances
• Use Incrediballs
• Shorten the pitching distance
• If individual is in wheelchair, allow them to push ball off ramp, off lap, or from tee
• Use beeper balls
• Provide a peer to assist
• Players without disabilities play regular depth defense
• Students without disabilities count to ten before tagging out person with disability

Volleyball:

• Use larger, lighter, softer, bright colored balls
• Allow players to catch ball instead of volleying
• Allow student to self toss and set ball
• Lower the net
• Reduce the playing court
• Stand closer to net on serve
• Allow ball to bounce first
• Hold ball and have student hit it

Bowling:

• Simplify/reduce the number of steps
• Use two hands instead of one
• Remain in stationary position
• Use a ramp
• Use a partner
• Give continuous verbal cues

Basketball:

• Use various size balls (size, weight, texture, color)
• Allow travelling
• Allow two hand dribble
• Disregard three second lane violation
• Use larger/lower goal
• Slow the pace, especially when first learning
• If student uses wheelchair, allow him to hold ball on his lap while pushing wheelchair
• Use beeper ball, radio under basket for individual with visual impairment

Golf:

• Use a club with a larger head
• Use shorter/lighter club
• Use colored/larger balls
• Practice without a ball
• Use tee for all shots
• Shorten distance to hole

Soccer:

• Use walking instead of running
• Have well defined boundaries
• Reduce playing area
• Play six-a-side soccer
• If student uses a wheelchair, allow him to hold ball on his lap while pushing the wheelchair
• Use a deflated ball, nerf ball, beeper ball, brightly colored ball
• Use a target that makes noise when hit

Tennis:

• Use larger, lighter balls
• Use shorter, lighter racquets
• Use larger head racquets
• Slow down the ball
• Lower the net or do not use a net
• Use brightly colored balls
• Hit ball off tee
• Allow a drop serve
• Stand closer to net on serve
• Do not use service court
• Use a peer for assistance

Common Barriers to Participation

Courtesy of: Michigan State University

Adaptations to activities in physical education
By Joe Bravo, Mark McCall, and John Steiner

We have came up with some different activities that you could use for different types of adaptive people. Some general things to be aware of when having adaptive people is that you confer with a team of professionals, prepare classmates without disabilities, think safety (find out what they can/can’t do), allow students with disabilities in decisions to be made, and provide activities to insure success.

Our first activity that could be used for someone that is in a wheelchair, has cerebral palsy or has dwarfism is volleyball. Some ways that you could adapt to people with these disabilities is by lowering the net, which will provide them a greater chance of hitting it over the net. You could also play with a beach ball instead of volleyball. This will give them a bigger target to hit, it is softer, and it doesn’t travel as fast.

Our second activity that could be used for someone with cerebral palsy or who is blind is musical hula-hoops. You could adapt to these people by using hula-hoops instead of chairs, which would be very difficult to sit quickly on. How you play this game is by having the adaptive people partner up with someone in the class. When the music starts, they move at a slow walk around the hoops and when it stops, everyone tries to fit part of their body into the hula-hoop. To make it more challenging, you can reduce the number of hula-hoops or make it so that they have to work together to try to fit completely into the hula-hoops. This is a safer way to play musical chairs and makes it more of a team effort.

Our third activity is amoebae tag, which could be used for almost any disability. You start off with two people being it and whenever someone is tagged, they link up with the people that are it and the amoebae keeps on growing longer and longer. This is a great game because everyone is involved and they can help each other out.

Example of General Task Analysis for striking (hitting a ball)