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Health & Fitness

D181 Schools Honor Inclusive Schools Week

As part of National Inclusive Schools Week, P.E. teachers at several District 181 schools led activities that incorporated adaptations based off of the Paralympics.

As part of National Inclusive Schools Week, P.E. teachers at several District 181 schools led activities that incorporated adaptations based off of the Paralympics. National Inclusive Schools Week, held December 3-7, is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., held since 2001 to celebrate the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population. After watching a video about the most recent Paralympic Games in London, P.E. students participated in games like sitting volleyball and target tossing using their opposite hands to get a sense of the added difficulty that the Paralympic athletes master. When students were asked what stood out to them about the activities, Elm School P.E. teacher Mary Rizzo says many of her young students remembered the comment made by a Paralympic athlete in the video: “Focus on my ability. Not my disability.”

Though not officially part of Inclusive Schools week activities, fifth grade students at The Lane School took on a unique and enriching challenge recently that modeled the spirit of the Inclusive Schools celebration. In the book “Rules” by author Cynthia Lord, the main character Catherine, a 12 year-old, asks herself what is “normal” after examining her relationships with friends and family who have physical and emotional disabilities. As a culminating activity to the reading, each student participated in recess while experiencing loss of sight, speech and hearing. Using blindfolds, taped mouths or cotton balls in their ears, Differentiation Specialist Rita Anderson explains that students were able to relate to peers who may manage those conditions every day. Teacher Chris Feeney shares that back in the classroom after the activity, students reflected on the exercise and expressed thoughts relating to the same issues the characters spoke of in the novel. Students noted that they expected not being able to see well would be easier, and so felt glad to have a partner helping them, admiring the independence of so many who are challenged with a disability.

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