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The purpose of this study was to explore the views of visually impaired youth about teacher-initiated activity modifications during integrated physical education. This experiential qualitative study included 18 visually impaired youth (ages 12-15 years; seven girls, 11 boys). Each participant completed two semi-structured interviews as data sources for this study. Four themes were constructed based on a reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data: (a) modifications interpreted as care; (b) "the angel and the devil": modifications highlighting impairment; (c) the two-way street to modifications; and (d) modifications are Band-Aids over flawed activities and curriculum. These themes expand upon the current literature by describing how visually impaired youth understand their experiences with modifications in integrated physical education contexts. For many of the participants, activity modifications represented a tangible example of physical education teachers caring for them and caring about their needs. As such, some support for previously explicated benefits of modifications is provided. However, a number of concerns were also raised by our participants about modifications, such as modifications representing poorly conceptualized Band-Aids over poorly constructed activities, as well as modifications spotlighting differences and impairments. Finally, modifications that are promoted as simple and superficial ideas by the literature and executed by physical educators without communication with students appear to be unfavored by visually impaired students. This finding provides further support for the need to shift pedagogical strategies and teaching behaviors to become more flexible and student-centered.

While movement toward the education of students with disabilities in integrated physical education has now become common internationally, it is not without concerns. Notably, scholars have questioned whether instruction in integrated physical education settings provides inclusive experiences for students with disabilities. The purpose of this exploratory study was to explore certified adapted physical educators' (CAPEs') perspectives on barriers and facilitators to students with disabilities experiencing inclusion in integrated physical education. A sample of 99 CAPEs (74.7% female) across the United States provided valid responses to an online survey form. Guided by the established two-step coding protocol, two independent reviewers coded the responses to open-ended questions. In total, 460 barriers and 473 facilitators that fell into seven categories were identified. Among these, both teacher-related barriers and facilitators were more commonly reported than other factors, such as environmental and policy barriers/facilitators. As such, it appears that the participants placed onus on ensuring the inclusiveness of integrated physical education classes largely on the shoulders of the teachers. In addition, codes related to programmatic or equipment-related factors were underreported, suggesting that even in integrated physical education classes where adapted equipment (i.e. equipment facilitator) and personnel support (i.e. programmatic facilitator) are available, inclusive experience may not be. These findings suggest inclusiveness of integrated physical education is complex and influenced by numerous factors.

Perspectives of peers without disabilities are considered a significant determinant of successful integrated physical education. The purpose of this study was to explore students' perspectives of including students with physical disabilities in physical education in Singapore. Primary and secondary school students (n = 219) provided their perspectives related to the inclusion of students with physical disabilities through an online survey platform. The quantitative results showed that 86.3% of the participants expressed a "yes" opinion toward having the perspective that peers with physical disabilities should be included, while 13.7% of them expressed either a "no" or "maybe" opinion related to peers with physical disabilities being included. Further, girls were more likely to respond "yes" than boys, and a larger proportion of secondary school students responded "yes" than primary school students. Content analysis was used to code students' 277 open-ended perspectives for supporting their expressed opinions. The different perspectives were coded and subsequently grouped into 15 categories for supporting the "yes," "no," and "maybe" responses. Equality was the most commonly listed category for supporting a "yes" response. For supporting a "no" response, negative outcomes, such as bullying and injury, were most commonly reported. Finally, dependence and incompatibility were equally listed for justifying a "maybe" response. These findings highlight a variety of perspectives related to peer attitudes and shed light on the value of enhancing students' perspectives toward the integration of peers with disabilities.

This study aimed to examine: (1) the influence of a disability awareness programme, designed and implemented by attendees of the "Incluye-T" programme and implemented in real educational settings, on the attitudes of their students toward the inclusion of peers with disabilities; (2) the differential effects of the disability awareness activities between classes in which physical impairment, visual impairment, or multi-impairment programmes were implemented; and (3) the influence of personal demographic variables on participants' attitudes toward the inclusion of peers with disabilities before and after the implementation of the disability awareness physical education (PE) sessions. A sample of 1105 PE students (13.1 ± 2.2 years) from 56 Spanish public educational centres took part. After the training programme on self-efficacy toward inclusion, physical educators designed and implemented awareness interventions at their schools. Physical educators implemented physical-only (23.2%), visual-only (42.9%), and combined activities for both impairments (33.9%). PE students' attitudes toward inclusion were measured pre- and post-interventions. Those who participated in combined activities revealed significant differences for the four attitude scores (p < 0.001), while those taking part in visual-only activities demonstrated decreased scores for the overall (p = 0.044) and the control beliefs subscale (p = 0.010). PE teachers were capable of influencing their PE students' attitudes toward inclusion using awareness activities taking into consideration the ecology of the interventions and the PE students' base level of attitudes before delivering sessions. The type of impairment/disability that was the focus of the awareness activities was an important factor that influenced the effectiveness of the interventions.

Currently, there is a dearth of research that has examined how podcasts influence kinesiology students' learning experience. More specifically, research is needed to better understand how different types of podcasts (e.g. open-access podcasts) influence students' perceptions toward topics that are complex and contextual. One such complex topic that has particular meaning to the fields of physical education and adapted physical education is inclusion. As such, the purpose of this investigation was to explore the way in which listening to a podcast influences how undergraduate students understand inclusion and integration within a physical education setting. Written reflections were collected from 19 undergraduate students and focus group interviews were conducted with 14 undergraduate students. An interpretivist research paradigm was adopted, and a qualitative description approach was utilized to construct three interrelated themes. The first theme, 'This podcast was very effective', demonstrated that the participants had generally favorable views towards the effectiveness of the podcast. The second theme, 'I really didn't know the difference', described how the podcast provided new information to the participants concerning inclusion and integration in a physical education setting. The third theme, 'Creating an inclusive environment for children with disabilities will be a challenge', portrays participants recognizing barriers to providing an inclusive environment, and whether questioning integrated settings are always the preferred setting. These findings suggest that open-access podcasts are a viable tool to teach complex issues to preservice physical educators.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of adults with visual impairments regarding fitness testing during their integrated physical education experiences. An interpretative phenomenological analysis research approach was used and 11 adults (ages 20-35 years) with visual impairments acted as participants. The primary sources of data were semi-structured audiotaped telephone interviews and reflective interview notes. Thematic development was undertaken using a three-step analytical process. Based on the data analysis, the following three interrelated themes were constructed from the data: (a) 'decent at sit-ups, but the others were embarrassing': mixed feelings about performance; (b) 'I couldn't reach my full potential': forced exclusion/inclusion; and (c) 'I felt like a museum exhibit': navigating unwanted social attention. These themes extend the current literature by describing salient features of fitness testing that influence the meaning that individuals with visual impairments place on those experiences.

The purpose of this study was to examine reflections of body image development experiences in school-based physical education and sport among individuals with visual impairments. This qualitative study utilized an interpretative phenomenological analysis. A purposive sample of 10 participants (ages 21-34; eight female, two male) residing in North America were included. Semi-structured, audiotaped telephone interviews and reflective interview notes were data sources for this study. Data were analysed using a three-step process inspired by interpretative phenomenological analysis, and themes that were identified across participants were summarized, presented as results, and discussed concurrently. Based on the data, two interrelated themes were constructed: (a) 'overweight and never really got proper exercise': repercussions of exclusion, and (b) 'the way I looked was very important': social pressures informing body image. These themes expand the current literature by describing the influences school-based physical education and sport contexts can have on the body image development experiences of individuals with visual impairments. Exclusion from activities and peer social comparisons are highlighted as critical features of physical education and sport experiences that can affect body image among this population.

The purpose of this study was to seek to understand and describe the experiences of sixth grade students, ages 11 and 12, taking part in the published Paralympic School Day (PSD) programme in relation to shaping attitudes and perceptions of disability and disability sport. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach. Fifty-two students were purposively sampled, after taking part in a PSD event. Data from reflective writing responses were collected and analysed inductively using a three-step approach. The analysis revealed three interrelated themes: (a) 'just like the rest of us': participants' new relatedness to those with disabilities; (b) 'what it means to be normal': challenging the idealized notion of normal; and (c) 'PSD changed my view of disabled people': a shift in paradigm. As the participants interacted with and learned from athletes with disabilities in a purposeful manner, they came to understand that disability was not synonymous with other-ness. This study provided new depth to our understanding of how participants experience PSD programmes, including profundities related to paradigm shifts, aha moments, and the meaning of normal.

The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning that individuals with psoriasis ascribed to their youth physical activity experiences. This qualitative, retrospective inquiry was based on an interpretative phenomenological analysis. A purposive sample of six participants (ages 20-46; four female, two male) residing in the United States were included. Semi-structured, audio-taped telephone interviews and reflective field notes acted as sources of data for this study. Thematic development was undertaken using a four-step interpretative phenomenological analysis process and themes identified across participants were summarized, presented as results, and discussed concurrently. Based on the data analysis, three interrelated themes were constructed from the participant transcripts: (a) "I just stopped signing up": the impact of physical discomfort; (b) "kids started calling me 'Flake'": embarrassment, social anxiety, and bullying; and (c) "I felt like he was calling me out": disclosing psoriasis to stakeholders. These three constructed themes provide unique insight into the embodied experiences of those with psoriasis, and fill a previous gap in the extant literature. Practitioners aiming to increase physical activity engagement among this population can use these findings to design more effective programmes and strategies that address the needs identified in this investigation.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the attitudes of physical education teachers about inclusion and teaching students with disabilities in Brazil before and after they participated in a professional development workshop focused on inclusive ideology and strategies. The participants were Brazilian physical education teachers (pretest sample, n = 90, and posttest sample, n = 90, respectively) sampled randomly from a two-day workshop held in Brasília, Brazil. The research method was pretest-posttest group design. The primary data source was the "Physical Educators' Judgments about Inclusion" survey, a three-dimensional attitude survey scale with an accompanying demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicate the Brazilian physical education teachers: (a) were undecided about inclusion; (b) were accepting of students with disabilities in their classes; and (c) perceived a need for additional professional development training to effectively teach children with disabilities.

Universal design for learning (UDL) has been advocated for by adapted physical education scholars as a panacea to the challenges associated with teaching disabled and nondisabled students together in physical education. So much so that UDL currently occupies a privileged and largely unquestioned position in adapted physical education scholarship and practice, until now. To move scholarship forward, this article draws on published theoretical and empirical work relating to UDL generally and in physical education in particular to critically discuss the scientific research supporting, or not, the use of UDL as a so-called inclusive approach. We end this article with a call to action for scholars in this field, ourselves included, to conduct theoretically guided and empirically informed research relating to UDL in physical education, which adheres to established hallmarks of research quality that are tied to the ontological and epistemological assumptions of researchers because, at present, it is conspicuous by its absence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the meaning that elite athletes with visual impairments ascribed to their school-based physical education (PE) and sport experiences. A convenience sample of four elite male goalball athletes with visual impairment voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews and reflective field notes, and an interpretive phenomenological analysis was conducted for theme development. Member checking, peer debriefing, and communicative validity were utilized to ensure trustworthiness. Even though the participants' experiences varied due to their personal and contextual characteristics, four interrelated themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) PE teachers are central to PE experiences; (b) internalized exclusion; (c) athletic identity struggle; and (d) extracurricular opportunity. These themes are discussed in relation to the existing literature. Implications with regard to the education of PE teachers and the need for school-based PE and sport programming to better serve students with visual impairments are highlighted.

Students with disabilities are more likely than ever to be educated in physical education classes with their typically developing peers. Because of this, it is essential for all educational personnel, including physical educators, to have proper teacher education to help meet the unique needs of these students. Currently, the research base is underdeveloped with regard to the meaning that graduate-level pre-service adapted physical education (APE) specialists ascribe to practicum experiences teaching students with severe and profound disabilities during their graduate teacher education. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to describe and explain graduate students' experiences instructing students with severe and profound disabilities during course-related practicum experiences. This study utilized a descriptive-qualitative approach using an exploratory case study design and was interpreted through the lens of occupational socialization theory. Nine graduate students enrolled in two master's level APE programmes acted as participants for this study. As part of their coursework, each student completed a 200 hour hands-on practicum experience teaching students with severe and profound disabilities. Data were collected during this practicum experience through semi-structured interviews, follow-up email correspondence, and demographic questionnaires. Three themes, explainable through the use of organizational socialization theory, emerged, and were: (1) the ambiguous roles of APE teachers; (2) the need for specialized expertise; and (3) reality shock-unpredictable behaviors. Although each of the participants expressed some difficulties during the experience, they also described degrees of success in contributing to the education of students with severe and profound disabilities.