What's New In Adapted Physical Education

During this episode of What’s New in APE we will be discussing the 50th National APE conference (NAPEC) that will be held virtually on November 4-6, 2021. Today we have Kathy Russell one of Conference Directors and Dr. Barry Lavay one of the Program Committees chairs to discuss the celebration that is planned to mark the 50th anniversary of this conference, an “Academy of Adapted PE Stars”. Kathy and Barry will briefly discuss the evolution of the conference during the past 50 years. They will then share the decision making that went into having an entirely virtual conference using the SOCIO event platform. Also examined will be the variety of different events and socials planned for conference attendees. Barry and Kathy will share the program that includes some great keynote speakers, as well as over, 50 sessions based on a variety of APE topics with dynamic speakers from all over the country. Even though the conference is virtual conference attendees will have many opportunities to interact with other atten

For this episode, I am able to share the recent APE Collaborative hosted by the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID). This is a brand new collaborative, where experts in the field of APE are invited to speak on a specific topic and then viewers are able to interact with one another and the experts. For this very first collaborative, the guest speakers were Dr. Garth Tymeson (Emeritus Professor of UW-Lacrosse) and Dr. Ali Brian (Associate Professor of University of South Carolina. Both of these panelists are former What's New in APE podcast guests and renown scholars within the field of APE. Dr. Tymeson discussed the latest Dear Colleague Letter in relation to APE, how these letters come to be, and the impact of this letter and other Dear Colleague Letters on the field of APE. The second panelist, Dr. Ali Brian, discussed research tips and advice for young scholars, as well as common pitfalls many researchers make, in the field of APE. The next NCPEID sponsore

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis and discuss some of her work that has focused on physical activity interventions and recommendations for individuals with disabilities, how to change health-related behaviors, and the dissemination of knowledge related to health and disability. Dr. Martin Ginis is a professor at the University of British Columbia and the founding director of SCI Action Canada (which is a lab that "conducts research on how to inform, teach and enable people living with spinal cord injury to initiate and maintain a physically active lifestyle"). Dr. Martin Ginis is one of the most prolific researchers to have been spotlighted by the What's New in APE platform, as she has over 300 peer-reviewed published articles and received over $11 million in grants. Within the episode, we discuss Dr. Martin Ginis's journey to becoming a researcher in the field of adapted physical activity, the need for evidence/guidelines to support physical activity interventions

In this episode, I had a conversation with Kae McCarty (@KM_McCarty) about the status of disability sports at the collegiate level. Ms. McCarty is completing her doctoral degree at Oregon State University, under her adviser Dr. Megan MacDonald, where she is conducting research around disability sport and college athletes. Ms. Within this discussion we discuss the types of disability sport available across the US, the importance of sport for college students with disabilities, the barriers that disrupt and prevent disability sports at a collegiate level, and the notion of disability sports sometimes being used as a form of "inspiration porn".

I am very happy to release a new episode of the podcast, as I have been on somewhat of a hiatus for the last month or so as I have recently moved my family to New Hampshire. In the beginning of the podcast, I recorded a short update on the changes going on in my life. For the rest of the episode, I had a conversation with Dr. Anthony Maher (@ajmaher5) about inclusion and how autistic individuals experience physical education. Within this discussion we discuss a recent research paper he co-authored on autistic youth's experience in an integrated physical education setting. We also confer about the meaning of inclusion, how adapted physical education looks in the United Kingdom, and how to create more inclusive physical education environments for children with disabilities.

This episode was led by repeat guest hosts from California State University, Long Beach: Dr. Barry Lavay (APE Professor, @BarryLavay) and Dr. Melissa Bittner (APE Professor, @MBittner_APE). In this episode we join them in one of their undergraduate APE classes, where they had a panel of recent APE student teachers and their mentors they worked with in the field. They go in-depth and discuss their experiences, how they navigated the pandemic and student teaching, and the keys to becoming a successful APE teacher.

In this episode, I had a conversation with Amanda Ebert (@eberta2) about ethical and moral issues that practitioners in the field of adapted physical activity (APA) deal with on a regular basis. This conversation was guided by a paper Ms. Ebert and her adviser Dr. Donna Goodwin published from her Master's thesis called "Sand in the Shorts: Experiences of Moral Discomfort in Adapted Physical Activity Professional Practice". Within her recently published article, Ms. Ebert interviewed a number of APA practitioners about the moral issues that they face, and how they attempt to navigate them. Within this discussion we also confer about common moral issues APA practitioners may encounter, why and how to discuss these moral discomforts, and that it is normal to have these feelings about moral discomfort within such a complex field.

In today's very special episode we had an interview with Drs. Pauli Rintala (University of Jyväskylä) and Kwok Ng (University of Eastern Finland and University of Limerick) about the International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA) and the field of adapted physical activity (APA) at an international level. Follow Dr. Kwok Ng @kwokwng. Also follow @ISAPA2021 and @ifapanet for updates about IFAPA and the upcoming ISAPA conference. Discussed in this podcast is the ISAPA, which acts under IFAPA, which will be held online, and will be from June 15th through 18th. This year’s theme is Quality Partnerships in Adapted Physical Activity: Stronger Together. The goal for ISAPA is to bring international researchers together to share their research in hopes of learning about what is going on in other countries. This podcast covers IFAPA and ISAPA, the international perspectives gained from attending ISAPA, how this years ISAPA will be unique, and changes in ISAPA overtime. For more information on IFAPA, you c

In this special episode, we had Dr. Lauren Liberman from SUNY Brockport college to discuss how to teach students with visual impairments (VI) in a physical education setting. Dr. Lauren Lieberman is a a Distinguished Service Professor in the area of adapted physical education. Prior to graduate school, she taught at the Perkins School for the Blind in the Deafblind program for five years. In addition, Dr. Lieberman founded and currently runs Camp Abilities, a sports camp for children with VI, each summer in Brockport, NY. She has helped start fourteen Camp Abilities programs in the United States and other countries. Specifically in this podcast, we discuss the different types of VI and how this may affect their physical education experiences, teaching strategies specific to working with children with VI, and applying universal design principles with students with VI. The direction of this podcast discuss was guided by a chapter written by Dr. Liberman in the Winnick and Porretta textbook called "Adapted Phys

For this episode, I am able to share a recent keynote lecture that occurred at my university (the University of Northern Iowa), where Dr. Justin Haegele spoke to our college of education about children with disabilities' experiences with inclusion in a physical education setting. Dr. Justin Haegele (@Justin_Haegele) is an associate professor at Old Dominion University, an accomplished researcher in the field of adapted physical activity, and a frequent guest on this podcast. Below is a blurb about his keynote lecture from the Carlton-Melichamp Lecture in Education website. "Since its introduction into educational vernacular, inclusion has become an international buzzword that now underpins educational policy and practice. However, the meaning of the term inclusion is contentious, and appears to change depending on the context in which it is used. In this presentation, the speaker will discuss one conceptualization of inclusion, as a subjective experience, and the implications this orientation has on research

In this episode we discuss justice pedagogy and the need for diversity and representation within the field of PE/APE. This podcast features three panelists from The Ohio State University, which included Dr. Samuel Hodge who is a full professor of physical education and adapted physical education, and two of his PhD candidates: Thomas Wilson and Ross Jordan. Specifically within this podcast the panelists discuss their experiences of living as Black Americans and how this experience constantly shapes their perceptions and lived experiences. In addition, we define and discuss the importance of justice pedagogy, as well as the need to have continued discussions about race and intersectional identities within a variety of spaces within the field of PE/APE.

In this episode we discuss service learning programs (where college students work with individuals with disabilities in a physical activity setting) within college APA programs, and how contact theory is applied to these experiences. To guide this discussion, we had three panelists who have run these programs and conducted research on the topic: Dr. Cathy McKay an assistant professor at James Madison University, Dr. Andrea Taliaferro an associate professor at West Virginia University, and Layne Case a doctoral student who is finishing up her dissertation at Oregon State University. Specifically within this podcast we define contact theory and discuss its application to service learning programs in APA settings, how one could best apply contact theory to their service learning programs, and how in-service teachers might be able to apply aspects of contact theory to their own classroom.

Hello APE Viewers! I recently had the opportunity to sit down with two scholars who recently authored a chapter in the textbook "Routledge Handbook of Adapted Physical Education" called Public Health Research. These scholars included Dr. Byron Lai, an assistant professor within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. Heidi Stanish an associate professor of Exercise and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Within their co-authored chapter, they define public health as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and prompting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals" (Winslow, 1920, p. 30). During this podcast episode we discuss the relationship between public health and adapted physical activity (APA) and the existing research related to physical activity and sedentary behaviors among people with disabilities that currently exist. We also hi

In our third installment of talking to those involved in the Multi-Institution Adapted Physical Activity (APA) Mentorship Consortium, we talk to two of the developers of the original idea for the consortium: Drs. Justin Haegele (Old Dominion University) and Joonkoo Yun (East Carolina University). Within this episode we discuss how they developed the idea for the consortium, the need for more quality research in the field of APA, how they secured funding for the program, and where they see this consortium going in the coming years. As mentioned in previous posts, the Multi-Institution APA Mentorship Consortium is beginning to train 28 high quality and competent scholars at the doctoral degree level at nine universities across the country, to serve as higher education faculty, and train pre-service physical education teachers and related service professionals to appropriately educate youth with disabilities. This training will occur through coursework, practicum, a consortium-wide enrichment program, communit

Welcome to the What's New in APE Podcast blog/podcast. In this episode, I had a discussion with two APE teachers in the state of Georgia that have created high quality videos that deliver programming specific to PE for students with disabilities, as well as Special Olympics Training and Games. More specifically, these APE teachers include Dave Martinez and Amy Aenchbacher. Both have over two decades of experience teaching APE and work within Cherokee County School District, as well as help run the Cherokee County Special Olympics. Within this discussion, we discuss teaching APE during the pandemic, how they started developing high quality videos, and where they see the use of these videos after the pandemic subsides.

In this episode, I had a discussion with two APE teachers in the state of Georgia that have created high quality videos that deliver programming specific to PE for students with disabilities, as well as Special Olympics Training and Games. More specifically, these APE teachers include Dave Martinez and Amy Aenchbacher. Both have over two decades of experience teaching APE and work within Cherokee County School District, as well as help run the Cherokee County Special Olympics. Within this discussion, we discuss teaching APE during the pandemic, how they started developing high quality videos, and where they see the use of these videos after the pandemic subsides.

This episode is very unique, in that it is an example of a project from my Technology in Physical Education (PE) undergraduate course at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). This project had PE undergraduates create a podcast focused on a specific area of PE and for a specific audience. After listening to all of them, I felt one group did an outstanding job and I wanted to highlight their thoughts and hard work on this platform. This group (which included: Thone Golwitzer, Brooke O'Connell, and Jakob Horstman) discussed the feeling of having to fight for others respect due to their college major, feelings of marginalization, and their views on the importance of PE. In addition, they also interview Dr. Tam Burt, a PE faculty member at UNI, about her experiences of feeling marginalized when she was a PE major in college.

As explained in an earlier post, "The journey of choosing to pursue, and actually pursuing doctorate are very difficult and individual". Somewhat in a continuation of the recent podcast episode focused on how PhD students choose and navigate a PhD program in the area of adapted physical activity (APA), for this episode we interviewed a panel of APA doctoral advisers that are a part of a newly formulated APA Consortium. More specifically, this episode included the well-known scholars: Dr. Martin Block (University of Virginia), Dr. Deborah Shapiro (Georgia State University), Dr. Sean Healy (University of Delaware), and Dr. Samantha Ross (West Virginia University). Within the episode we specifically discuss their research interests, how to navigate the PhD journey, and the qualities of a good PhD mentor. In addition, we discuss how the APA Consortium is beginning to train 28 high quality and competent scholars at the doctoral degree level at nine universities across the country, to serve as higher education facu

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Nancy Spencer and discuss some of her work and perceptions towards disability and disability models. Disability models are used to view and conceptualize disability, as well as to understand how society interacts and impacts disability. Dr. Spencer is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. Dr. Spencer has written numerous articles questioning how we view disability in the field of adapted physical activity. Recently she wrote a book chapter called "Disability Language in Adapted Physical Education", along with Drs. Peers and Eales, in the Routledge Handbook of Adapted Physical Education. In addition to her work on disability models, Dr. Spencer's research interests are in the areas of adapted physical activity and children’s physical activity. According to her faculty page, she is "committed to understanding how to facilitate inclusive and meaningful experiences in play, sport (parasport) and

For this episode, I was able to bring back Paralympian Jessica Heims to talk about how COVID-19 has disrupted the 2020 Paralympics, and how this organization and herself are working towards 2021. In addition, we discuss living with a disability during COVID-19, and the recent films Rising Phoenix and Crip Camp and what they mean to the disability community. Jessica is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Northern Iowa. She also currently competes on the University's track and field team as a discus thrower and sprinter. Furthermore, Jessica recently broke two world records in discus throwing. You can follow Jessica on Twitter @Jessie_Heims.