Physical Activity for All Disabled Persons: A Conversation with Dr. Nicole Kirk

 In the latest episode of What's New in APE, we interviewed Dr. Nicole Kirk, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia, about her journey and research in Adapted Physical Education (APE). Dr. Kirk shared how she initially stumbled into APE through her background in judo and theater in Chicago, when she began working with a student with Down syndrome. This experience ignited her passion for making physical activity accessible for students with disabilities, leading her to pursue formal studies at Southern Illinois University and the University of Virginia, and eventually her PhD at Old Dominion University, where she explored motivation for physical activity among visually impaired and blind individuals under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Haegele. 

In her current and past research, Dr. Kirk shared insights on the distinct challenges that many disabled individuals face in physical activity, describing how systemic ableism and exclusionary practices often prevent participation. She also highlights the importance of disability sports as an avenue to empower disabled persons and quality physical activity experiences. When conducting research, Dr. Kirk stressed the importance of understanding participants' cultural and social contexts, particularly when working internationally and in lower socio-economic countries. Finally, she expressed the need for more disabled researchers in APE to ensure research aligns with lived experiences. 

Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice: An Interview with Brad Weiner

We’re excited to launch a brand-new season of What’s New in Adapted Physical Education (APE) with a fresh, research-to-practice focus. Starting with this season, we’ll be releasing episodes every two weeks, each centered on in-depth topics that spotlight how research can directly support and enhance practical teaching strategies in the field.

In our latest episode, host Scott McNamara welcomes Brad Wiener, an experienced APE supervisor in Fairfax County, Virginia, to discuss the exciting changes to the APE platform and share insights from his role. With 17 years as an APE teacher, Brad now oversees 55 dedicated APE teachers and supports 64 more across a large number of schools. He underscores the critical benefits of having an APE supervisor who has been "in the trenches" and understands the nuances of teaching adapted physical education firsthand.

Brad reflects on some key challenges he faces, from communicating policies to advocating for adequate staffing—challenges that often resonate across the APE field. A unique aspect of Brad’s leadership style is his commitment to integrating research into everyday practice. He actively encourages teachers to engage with the latest APE studies, emphasizing the value of structured research and its practical application in the classroom.

Additionally, Brad sees tremendous potential in connecting pre-service teachers with current APE professionals. This mentorship not only supports skill-building but also fosters critical thinking—a vital skill as pre-service teachers step into real-world scenarios. Tune in to hear Brad’s insights, and stay tuned for more bi-weekly episodes designed to bridge the research-to-practice gap in APE.

The APE field through the eyes of a podcaster and teacher: An interview with Chris Ahrens

 This podcast episode features an interview of Chris Ahrens of the San Diego Unified School District. After graduating from SUNY Brockport with a degree in physical education and completing a master’s program on an OSEP grant, he has spent the last 15 years working in various positions in the San Diego Unified School District until he reached the position of lead APE teacher. They discussed the way in which podcasts connect APE teachers and allow different perspectives to be shared. His podcast, Talking Adapted PE Podcast, can be found here: Podcast Link. He discusses lessons he learned the hard way through podcasting, like how to be flexible and how to disagree politely and respectfully. Ahrens has mild cerebral palsy and had a nine-year career with the U.S. Men’s National Paralympic Soccer Team and was recently a finalist for the National Soccer Hall of Fame (Paralympics Profile). Soccer was a huge part of his life, and he described the excitement of watching World Cup games during his childhood and how the transformational power of sports can lift people up. Next, they have dived into how the pandemic has affected the field of education, with a focus on the mental health of students. When looking back on his career up until this point, he stated that in every school situation he found himself in, he left it better than he found it. He advises Masters APE students to rock the boat, as they have the unique opportunity to change the field for the better. When looking forward to the next 20 years of the field, he compares the rise of online programs versus traditional hands-on experience, as these careers in the APE field require hands-on practice to be successful.  

What's New In Adapted Physical Education · The APE field through the eyes of a podcaster and teacher: An interview with Chris Ahrens

NCPEID Collaborative April 2024: Concerns & Considerations for the Field of APE

 This episode featured a discussion between three emeritus professors in the APE space on the past, present, and future of APE. Dr. Garth Tymeson worked as a professor of APE at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, and more information about his career can be found here: Garth Tymeson. Dr. Dale Ulrich is a retired professor from the University of Michigan that created the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) that evaluates the gross motor function of children, and more information can be found here: Dale Ulrich, TGMD Information. Finally, Dr. Barry Lavay is a leader in the APE space and worked as a professor at California State University Long Beach. More information about Dr. Lavay can be found here: Barry Lavay. 

They began by discussing laws and regulations that shaped the field into what it is today, such as creating a separate certification for APE teachers. Others highlighted that often it was debated whether children with disabilities should participate in physical activity, let alone receiving a APE curriculum. At that time, there was no available literature, no assessment or curriculum materials, and very little equipment, which posed both unique challenges and opportunities to adapt and be creative. The three guests also described the challenges and opportunities after becoming faculty members at various university’s APE programs, such as modifying graduate program curriculum, establishing clinical experiences for students, and teaching themselves how to do research at a time when collaboration was not as encouraged as it is now. Valuable skills that these professors built during their first years as faculty included grant and scholarship writing, at which point the professors transitioned into discussing the sometimes-controversial topic of seeking federal and private foundation grants. One point that was highlighted during that conversation was that usually, those deciding on federal funding like to see collaboration across multiple sites. When discussing the biggest changes in APE over the last 30 years, the consensus was there has been an increase in the integration of students with disabilities in the general PE classroom. Appropriate integration has been aided by adding specialized personnel and continued updates and improvements made to rules and regulations. Specific concerns for the field to hopefully be addressed in the next 10 years include the percentage of general PE teachers who do not have the expertise or knowledge on how to accommodate students with disabilities in their classroom. Additionally, they would like to see an increase in visibility and understanding of APE. See rough transcript of the podcast here.

What's New In Adapted Physical Education · NCPEID Collaborative April 2024: Concerns & Considerations for the Field of APE

APE Professional’s Journey: Words of Wisdom and Insight with Dr. Ron French

This podcast episode featured two APE professionals interviewing Dr. French, who has been a professor in APE for many years. Dr. French credits the beginning of his journey with APE to his parent’s philosophy on diversity and inclusion, which led him to UCLA where he studied what is now called adapted physical education. Dr. French has co-authored many textbooks used in the APE space on subjects like behavior management and physical education, including one that can be purchased here. Some of his mentors included his wife, Dr. Lisa Silliman-French, and his fifth grade teacher who ran a local YMCA club that included him as part of the team. After discussing working in research during his time at UCLA with professors who focused on motor development and AE, Dr. French reflected on how the aprons exam most strongly impacted his adapted PE career as it developed a standard in the APE field. When reviewing how he became interested in behavior management, Dr. French stated that it came from a place of survival, of dealing with students in a PE classroom setting and trying to control the classroom. His advice to young professionals was to go beyond professional collaboration and make positive connections with other professionals in the field. Strengths of APE professionals that were listed include specialization in more in depth physical education information, excellent communication skills, and the ability for collaboration between professionals. Challenges for the profession according to Dr. French include a lack of time spent with family and the need for a good statistician to help with professional research. Upon reflecting on his career, Dr. French expressed that he should have collaborated more with his chair, and dived deeper into different types of inclusion research. 

What's New In Adapted Physical Education · APE Professional’s Journey: Words of Wisdom and Insight with Dr. Ron French

Behavioral Approaches and Interventions in Physical Education

This podcast featured an interview lead by Dr. Amanda Young and her Master students from California State University, Long Beach, where they interview educators in the APE field about working with students with behavioral issues. Specifically, one guest works as an APE specialist for charter schools in California, and the one teaches PE at an alternative school for special education in Vermont. The group goes into common definitions and misconceptions in the APE community, such as the population of students that these educators serve. After outlining the different types of support in place at the alternative school in Vermont, such as different types of classroom clinicians working with the teachers, the guests then reflect on the transition process from public school into these more specialized types of programs that collaborate as a close knit community. At this program, the end goal is to get the students able to return to their public school with a behavior plan that allows for independence as well as inclusion. Strategies that these schools use are proactive behavior management, strong communication between teachers, and creating a safe space for students to have what they need. The ability to implement this comes from the ability to be vulnerable and not being afraid to embarrass yourself as a teacher. While these programs might be unique in what they can offer to students, things like the language used to teach students self advocacy can be applied in many settings to help children understand their emotions better. A piece of advice that was given from the teacher’s perspective was to get to know the student, to try and truly understand them as a person. When a student feels like a teacher cares, everyone benefits. This can be found in the community based programs at the Vermont based school, such as basketball, soccer, and gymnastics camp. At the end of the day, flexibility, connection, communication are key to the success of APE programs. 

Here is a website one of the students on this podcast developed around Approaches to Behavior Management. 

Here is the rough transcript. 

What's New In Adapted Physical Education · Behavioral Approaches and Interventions in Physical Education

February 2024 NCPEID Collaborative APE Doctoral Programs

The podcast episode featuring professors from various universities discussing PhD programs in Adapted Physical Education (APE). Dr. Andrew Pitchford from Oregon State University started by highlighting the importance of their interdisciplinary connections between the adapted physical activity program and other departments, such as the Psychological Science Program and the global health department. Oregon State’s program has five faculty members that can use their unique backgrounds to advise their graduate students. Other things that Oregon State has to offer students is their adaptive exercise clinic, community outreach, and fellowship opportunities through the federal government. Next, members of the University of South Carolina spoke about their program, mentioning that a strength of their program is their core group of faculty with specific interests in adapted physical education and activity. The program is organized into four types of experiences: knowledge, teaching, scholarship and service. Students have the opportunity to teach courses independently, successfully complete their dissertation, and co-author research manuscripts among other things. Then, Nicole Kirk from the University of Georgia spoke on their PhD program that features a focus in adapted physical education. The program also houses a sport instruction research lab that works on lifespan physical activity among other topics. Another important aspect of their work is community outreach, which is accomplished by hosting events such as field days with kids from all over the state of Georgia. Coursework is offered in the areas of APA, PE, and parasport training. Finally, a representative of the University of Illinois spoke on their PhD program for Adapted Physical Activity. They are featured within the pedagogy and physical activity program, with a focus in pedagogical kinesiology. The Kinesiology Lab is the centerpiece of their curriculum, which allows students to study PE workforce development, experiences of children with and without disabilities in physical education, and social and emotional learning of all children. 

PhD programs highlighted

- Oregon State

- University of South Carolina

- University of Georgia

- University of Illinois

NCPEID is the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities. They play a major role in shaping the direction of adapted physical education and adapted physical activity, as well building and promoting APE & APA programs and services. https://www.ncpeid.org/ 

See a rough transcript of this conversation here.

What's New In Adapted Physical Education · February 2024 NCPEID Collaborative APE Doctoral Programs