Brimming with practical ideas, Build It So They Can Play assists physical education teachers, caregivers, and play group and recreation leaders in building adapted equipment and implementing associated activities to create a successful learning environment for students with disabilities.
Build It So They Can Play offers a range of equipment building projects, including equipment to modify participation in typical sports and recreation activities; aid with vestibular and fine motor development; and encourage audio, visual, and tactile stimulation. Every equipment project, from the simplest to the most involved, has been field tested to ensure success by the authors—all veteran adapted physical educators. Step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and detailed photos will help you accomplish each of these DIY projects. Plus, a complete list of materials and a list of necessary tools help you stay organized and save time.
Using inexpensive building supplies and found or recycled items, you can enhance your collection of adapted physical education supplies for a fraction of the cost of new equipment! Make a mobile low basketball goal with a trash can, plywood, and your screwdriver; or turn an umbrella into a sensory mobile. You can even construct your own therapy bed giving students who use wheelchairs the freedom to leave the chair without lying on the floor. And, each project includes additional ideas for use and suggestions for customizing the equipment for various abilities and purposes.
Are tight budgets forcing you to do more with less? With Build It So They Can Play, you can turn less expensive into more fun for your students. Grab your tool belt and start building a positive PE experience for all!
Equipment Finder
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Equipment for Sport and Recreation Activities
Chapter 2. Modified Equipment for Sport and Recreation Activities
Chapter 3. Modified Equipment for Vestibular and Fine Motor Activities
Chapter 4. Sensory Equipment
Appendix
Glossary
About the Authors
As a reference for physical education and adapted physical education
teachers for use in building modified equipment for their students. Also
as a reference for community play and support group leaders serving
children with special needs.
Teresa Sullivan has been teaching students with various
disabilities in adapted physical education since 2002 in the North East
Independent School District (NEISD) in Texas. She has been an active
member of the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) since 1998. Teresa has transformed the
NEISD Special Olympics program into an exemplary sports program for
young adults with special needs. She participates as an Area 20 Special
Olympics co-head trainer and is involved in the Area Sports Management
Team (ASMT) committee for the San Antonio area. In addition, she has
been involved in a state-level games committee for Special Olympics
Texas. Many of Teresa’s athletes have competed in area, state, and
international Special Olympic events. Teresa is well known for her
innovation in building equipment. She has presented various workshops
addressing how to build equipment for people with special needs. Teresa
was awarded the Superintendent’s Award for NEISD during 2005-2006 and
has been named Coach of the Year and Trainer of the Year for Special
Olympics Texas in Area 20.
Cindy Slagle has been an active member of the Texas Association
for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) since
1992. She has over 30 years of experience teaching adapted physical
education and 16 years of service to North East Independent School
District (NEISD). Cindy is responsible for leading a team of 14 adapted
physical education specialists dedicated to providing testing,
development, and placement to children with diverse special needs in 64
schools throughout the district. Cindy was the 2006 recipient of the
Texas TAHPERD Adapted Physical Educator of the Year award and the
recipient of the 2006-07 Superintendent’s Award for NEISD. In February
2007 she received the Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year
Award from the Southern District American Alliance for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance. She is a graduate of Kansas State
University. Cindy has presented numerous district in-service workshops
and has been a presenter at more than 30 state and national conferences,
most notably the National Conference on Physical Activity for
Exceptional Learners, New York State AHPERD, the National AAHPERD
Conference, and the Midwest Symposium of Therapeutic Recreation and
Physical Activities. Cindy receives great satisfaction sharing her
experiences with her colleagues while expanding her knowledge base.
Thelma (T.J.) Hapshie is a nationally certified adapted physical
education teacher with more than 40 years of experience working with
people with developmental, physical, and emotional disabilities in
institutional settings, recreation centers, and group homes.
Hapshie invented and patented a device that provides auditory cues to
assist visually impaired people in participating in bowling. In 2009 she
was named Adapted Physical Educator of the Year by the Texas Association
of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD). Hapshie
was also named the 2011 Recreation Professional of the Year by TAHPERD.
Vic Brevard has been an educator since 1989. He coached football,
basketball, track, and tennis for 8 years (4 years with Refugio
Independent School District and 4 years in Ft. Bend Independent School
District in Texas). He was the middle school sport coordinator at both
school districts and was and the team leader for the Alief ISD adapted
physical education program. Vic is the recipient of the 2008 Texas
TAHPERD Adapted Physical Educator of the Year Award.
Debbie Brevard taught for 28 years. She started out in Andrews at
the high school, where she was the cheerleader coach. After moving to
Refugio, she coached high school volleyball, middle school basketball,
and track. Debbie was the head track coach and assistant volleyball
coach at Kempner High School in Ft. Bend, Texas. She then worked as an
elementary physical education teacher. She taught adapted physical
education for five years.