Off the Sidelines: Allowing Students With Disabilities Equal Access to the Gymnasium

Abstract

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 students with disabilities are entitled to specially designed physical education in the least restrictive environment outlined in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). Adapted Physical Education (APE) is physical education designed to meet the needs of all children including those with disabilities. It is the service that children receive not the placement. The Least Restrictive Environment means that a student who has a disability should have the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers, to the greatest extent appropriate. They should have access to the general education curriculum, extracurricular activities, or any other program that non-disabled peers would be able to access.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah Fuller

Sarah Fuller is an Adapted Physical Education Specialist in Webster Public Schools, Webster, NY.

Lindsay Ball

Lindsay Ball is a doctoral student in Human Movement Sciences at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.

Lauren J. Lieberman

Lauren J. Lieberman ([email protected]) is a Distinguished Service Professor in the Kinesiology, Sport Studies and Physical Education Department at SUNY Brockport, Brockport, NY.