‘Drawing’on disabled students’ experiences of physical education and stakeholder responses

Capturing the world of physical education through the eyes of children with autism spectrum disorders

“…The findings have illuminated that each autistic child is different and that manipulating the delivery of activities or the composition of groups does not equate to inclusive practice (Fitzgerald, 2012). It is crucial that teachers plan for inclusion through informed awareness of the barriers pupils may face, which extend to actual and conceptual fields beyond the formal space of 'lesson delivery.…”

“…Whilst acknowledging that the essence of good pedagogy applies to all children, the teachers' role in influencing the physical education experiences for pupils with ASD and their embodiment of particular dispositions towards physical education should not be underestimated. There may be a misconception between the way inclusion is conceptualised and understood by some physical education departments (Fitzgerald, 2012;Smith, 2004); with an emphasis on the modification of planning to accommodate pupils with special educational needs or disabilities, rather than planning to their individual needs (Smith, 2004). For many teachers the natural focus for inclusion will be ability levels, careful differentiation, variety in teaching styles and approaches to assessment whilst paying careful thought towards adapting or modifying facilities, equipment and activities.…”

“…Although participants illustrate the embodied practices enable physical capital to be exchanged for forms of social capital, it may be argued that Josie's and Robert's social capital is being created by the social model of disability, which excludes disabled pupils from physical education (Fitzgerald, 2012). This necessitates that, in the experiences of the participants, such social capital does not have value beyond the immediate space of the physical education class.…”

“…The model, illustrated by Burchardt (2004) 'provides a way of conceptualising the disadvantage experienced by people with impairments which emphasises the social, economic and environmental barriers to participation in society ' (p. 735). Whilst there are different versions of the model, its interpretation has highlighted inclusion issues within schools (Fitzgerald, 2012), illuminating the need for curriculum reform (Kirk, 2005) and for measures to ensure inclusive physical education experiences, rather than expecting disabled pupils to 'fit in'. However, it is also important to acknowledge that those barriers mentioned are also faced by many of the general physical education population.…”

‘Disable them all’: SENCO and LSA conceptualisations of inclusion in physical education

“…However, there is little consensus regarding educational 'inclusion', especially among British policy makers, academics and education professionals. An academic conceptualisation of inclusion can lie on a spectrum ranging from planning physical education (PE) curriculum that suit the needs and capabilities of all pupils (Oliver and Barnes, 2010), to radically restructuring the culture of schools through policies, learning, teaching and assessment so that pupils with SEN can have enjoyable and meaningful educational experiences (Fitzgerald, 2012). Here, it seems that a pupil's SEN is the consequence of a rigid mainstream school culture; if PE curriculum was developed from the outset to capitalise on pupils' capabilities and cater for individual learning needs then educational provision additional to that offered to the majority of pupils would not be required (Terzi, 2005).…”