When you are teaching about populations that are not always well known or familiar to the students, I believe that it is essential to strive to make connections whenever possible. I was fortunate to have Special Olympians join my 07-95-410 Adapted Physical Activity of Special Populations class for a panel discussion. In addition to these athletes presenting their experiences to the class and answering questions, they agreed to reproduce their Medal award winning performances in the lobby. Below are a few photos of a rhythmic gymnastics performance by one of the athletes.
“The Special Olympian guest lecturers are truly an inspiration. As an athlete, you look at them and it makes you not want to give up, they give their best at all times.” ~ Blake Blondeel
“I just wanted to say thank you so much for organizing today’s guest speakers. To be honest, that was the best guest lecturer presentation I’ve had throughout my University career.” ~ Adriana Baggio
“Having guest lecturers come in who are considered from Special Populations gave us insight on the challenges and rewards these individuals face. More importantly, it was able to teach us on the perseverance these individuals have!” ~ Kyle Tyo
The students were also involved in a group assignment that had a component that required them to observe athletes of various abilities at the Italian Canadian Handicapable Association (ICHA). The overall assignment required the students to work in groups and create modifications to how certain sports (e.g. basketball, floor hockey, soccer, etc.) are typically played. The inclusion of an observation was to help facilitate the students understanding of the varying abilities of athletes when playing modified sports.
“The focus of the course entitled ‘Special Populations’ is to provide students with the knowledge of how and why physical activities need to be modified to enable individuals’ with a physical and/or cognitive barrier to performing physical activities in the standardized accepted way. The Italian Canadian Handicapable Association (ICHA) located in Windsor, Ontario has agreed to allow students to observe their clientele participating in a variety of sports that they offer. As part of the observation, the students will work in groups to create a “how to” video demonstrating a component of the physical activity that they observe. Only members from the group will be permitted to be in the video. The students will also be responsible for submitting a written report on their topic.” ~ Excerpt from REB Application
“The ICHA’s value to the class shaped me to want to become a community support provider. I can be a role model for a child who can teach me just as much as I can teach them.” ~ Blake Blondeel
“The ICHA provided us with learning tools in designing and understanding how there are various programs and even bursaries for individuals with mental and physical disabilities.” ~ Kyle Tyo