Sportable Disability Etiquette Training for HCPS Follow Up

Dear Principals

Sportable is an organization that Henrico County has partner with going on two years now. Since the partnership Sportable has provided schools (elementary, middle, and high) with adapted sports (school assembly) and adapted sports experience (hands on experience). This year is the first year that they are offering free disability etiquette training for schools.

The training will focus on elements such as:
• People-First Language (Person before the disability)
• Listen attentively to those with speech difficulties. Allow them to finish. Paraphrase what you heard and allow the individual to make corrections or repeat as necessary.
• If you’re having an extended conversation with a wheelchair user, pull up a chair and speak at eye level
• Offer to shake hands when introduced; be prepared for left hand and other variations.
• Emphasize ABILITIES, not limitations!!!

More about Sportable and HCPS’ Partnership:

Adapted Sports (Assembly):
The variety of sports available to athletes with physical disabilities and visual impairments is vast and the history of adapted sports is rich and deep. Participants are introduced to the world of Paralympic sports through a multi-media presentation featuring the history of adapted sports and the Paralympic Games, an overview of the different sports available for athletes with various types of physical and visual disabilities, and the stories of accomplished athletes with physical disabilities. One to two pieces of adaptive equipment will be brought for display and/or trial by students. This is can be tailored to elementary school students in a Career Day and or assembly setting. For middle and high school students this is can be offered as a Part 1 of a two part program, where Part 2 would include an Adapted Sports Experience (outlined below). Pre-perception surveys are emailed to teachers or students directly prior to presentation to gather information on their understanding and comfort level of people with physical disabilities and/or visual impairments. Data collected is presented to identify Henrico School Department staff acting as liaison for that school/program.

Adapted Sports Experience (Hands On Experience):
This program takes Adapted Sports 101 to the next level by engaging students in hands-on experience of a variety of sports such as goal ball, sitting volleyball, wheelchair racing, wheelchair tennis, and more. Participants are introduced to the basic rules and equipment for each sport and given an opportunity to try them first hand. Traditionally this is offered during Physical Education Class time and students are broken up into groups of five (depending on class size) and three PE Department Staff assist 2 Sportable staff in running students through 7-10 min rotations of five different adaptive sports (sports depend on student population and space primarily). Students are provided a brief intro at the start of class 2-3 minutes with a general overview and then are given 2-3 minutes at the end to ask questions about their experience. Sportable provides all students that participate a Sportable wrist band (latex free). Post-perception surveys are emailed to either teachers or students directly prior to presentation to gather information on their understanding and comfort level of people with physical disabilities and/or visual impairments. Data collected is presented to identify Henrico School Department staff acting as liaison for that school/program. This program is easily adaptable for both middle and high school students.

For more information please visit their website below.

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Email me with any questions.

Message from Marcellus Bland

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