|  | Feature: “Recreation Sport and Social Change in Sustainable Community Development” | No.55 January 2009 |
|  |  | print / save view |

The Inclusion Spectrum: A Model for Including all Young People in Physical Activity and Sport Ken Black |
In post-disaster scenarios, or where sport and play are used as interventions to address social issues, the issue of how to include disabled children and adults in the activities can be a serious challenge for sports leaders and coaches. In a post-disaster situation, for example, the need for inclusion will almost inevitably arise. For example, the disaster itself, whether natural or man-made, will create more people who have impairments, through injury or disease. Many disabled people will already be present, in special schools or institutions, or living within communities. Other disabled people, possibly hidden from view by their families or communities for cultural or social reasons, may suddenly be revealed in a post-disaster scenario, where buildings, for example, have been destroyed and everyone is visible. Finally, when communities are rebuilt and renewed, this must be inclusive of all people. In fact, the opportunity must be grasped to promote the rights of everyone in the community, address existing negative values, creating a more equitable society for all. The Inclusion Spectrum In 1987, Joseph Winnick published an ‘Inclusion Continuum’ in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly. In this, he outlined five strategies for including disabled children in physical activity programs, ranging from fully inclusive activities to those where children participate in a ‘segregated’ environment. In the early 1990s, a group of professionals involved themselves in providing a structure for inclusion which could be used by teachers, coaches and community sports deliverers to assist them in ensuring the inclusion of all young people in physical activity. Winnick’s continuum was initially refined by Ken Black, the then Inclusive Sport Officer at the Youth Sport Trust (YST) , for inclusion in one of their program handbooks. The main alteration was to arrange the format of the continuum to give each approach equal validity and importance within the overall program. This amended Winnick’s hierarchical structure that suggested inclusive activity was the program pinnacle, and other approaches were adaptations or modifications of this goal. The Inclusion Continuum was further refined following cooperative work between Black and David Tillotson (at the time an advisory teacher of PE working for Birmingham Education). Tillotson and Black produced the Inclusion Spectrum, which re-arranged the continuum in a circular format, with more detailed explanation and examples of each approach. This was incorporated into another Youth Sport Trust resource in 2000, this one aimed at providing program material for physical education teachers working in secondary education. Black then collaborated with another colleague, Pam Stevenson, to develop a definitive inclusion workshop for the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS). The resulting ‘Including Disabled Pupils in Physical Education’ (IDP) workshop was piloted as part of Coaching Weeks in 1999 in three locations, before being adopted as the national curriculum practitioners inclusion course by EFDS the same year . Development of the Inclusion Spectrum In addition to the school-based versions of what became the IDP, Stevenson also developed a version specifically aimed at support staff, called ‘Supporting Disabled People in Sport’. With Black, further workshops and resources, based on the Spectrum principles, were developed for the Sports Council for Wales (Dragon Sport program) and a sports specific version for the Football Association (FA) . The National Curriculum for Physical Education was reviewed and revised in 1999 so information about the Inclusion Spectrum was provided to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) who were coordinating the curriculum revision. The approaches outlined in the Spectrum: open (inclusive); modified; parallel; and separate, were incorporated into the language used in the National Curriculum order (published in late 1999). A more detailed version of the Inclusion Spectrum and how it related to schemes of work was included in the guidelines to teachers (published in 2000) . The Spectrum was used as the basis for an interactive CD ROM ‘Success for All’ produced jointly by the Department for Education and Skills, EFDS, QCA, YST and the Inclusion network. This CD ROM highlighted ways of developing an inclusive approach to PE and school sport and was provided in 2003 to every school in England and Wales. Since its early development, the Inclusion Spectrum has been used by a wide number of international organisations, including the Australian Sports Commission (in their Disability Education Program) and the Finnish Sports Association of Disabled People (SIU) in their ‘Ota Minut Mukaan’ program. It has also appeared in the workshop material of Sportscoach UK in the afore-mentioned ‘Coaching for Teachers’ program and their ‘Working with Disabled Sportspeople’ and ‘Coaching Disabled Performers/ How to Coach Disabled People in Sport’ programs. The Sportscoach UK website says: How to Coach Disabled People in Sport: …the workshop will introduce and offer guidance to any coach involved with disabled people in sport, the emphasis being to introduce coaches to the Inclusion Spectrum and effective practice. The original authors of the Inclusion Spectrum developed it specifically as a practical tool for practitioners – a means of structuring their ideas around inclusion, particularly those working in ‘mainstream’ physical education or sports environments. It therefore evolved and spread rather organically, with versions adapted for use in a range of different settings. There are very few academic references for the Inclusion Spectrum, apart from workshops on its use presented at a number of conferences, seminars and symposia around the world. Application of the Inclusion Spectrum model The Inclusion Spectrum consists of 5 different approaches to the organisation of physical activity arranged in a continuum of participation. For every situation, the most appropriate level of inclusion can be selected according to the existing conditions, like composition of the group, nature of the activity, environment, equipment and number of support staff. An additional refinement to the model has been to associate disability sport activities with all the other approaches. This means these ‘reverse integration’ activities can be used as the basis for open, modified, parallel or separate activities. (See Figure 1) Figure 1. The Inclusion Spectrum Open activity: Everyone does the same activity with minimal or no adaptations to the environment or equipment; open activities are by their nature inclusive so that the activity suits every participant; for example, warm-up or cool down, cooperative or unstructured movement games (like collecting games or target games). (See Photo 1) Modified activities: Everyone plays the same game or performs the same activity but the rules, equipment or area of activity are adapted to promote the inclusion of all individuals regardless of their abilities; for example, playing basketball with a variety of targets, such as a lowered basket, a hoop taped to the wall, or a box on the floor so that participants choose to score in the target most suited to their abilities. (See Photo 2) Parallel activities: In this approach, although participants follow a common activity theme, they do so their own pace and level by working in groups based on their abilities; for example, two groups playing a seated and standing version of a game, or perhaps a net-wall game (like volleyball) where participants play with no barrier, a low net, or a net at regulation height. One consideration in the parallel approach is that abilities can change dependent upon the activity, and that someone playing a complex version of a racquet sport may be in a less challenging group if the activity switches to games based on football or rugby. (See Photo 3) Separate activities: This approach emphasises that, on occasions, it may be better for a disabled person to practice sports individually or with their disabled peers. For example, it may be more effective to withdraw an individual (not necessarily a disabled participant) in order to practice individual sports competencies to enable successful integration into a game situation with the rest of the group. Disabled athletes may need to train separately, together to prepare for a competition. An example of this would be a wheelchair basketball group included in a local basketball club. (See Photo 4) Disability sport: Reverse integration where non-disabled children and adults are included in disability sports together with disabled peers; for example, using the Paralympic sports of goalball, boccia or sitting volleyball as a basis for an inclusive game. Reverse integration sessions improve attitudes towards disability sports and raise the self-esteem of disabled participants who may have proficiency in these activities. (See Photo 5) STEP A useful tool that can be used in conjunction with the Inclusion Spectrum is STEP. This is an acronym for: Space Task Equipment People STEP was developed in Youth Sport Trust resource material to provide a simple means of assisting teachers, coaches and community sport deliverers with differentiation (that is, changing activities in order to provide suitable entry points across the ability range). STEP is a structure that can be used to ensure that participants with different abilities can be included in physical activities. Changes in the way the activity is delivered can be made in one or more STEP areas. STEP Examples
Space | increase or decrease the size of the playing area; vary the distance to be covered in practices to suit different abilities or mobility levels; use zoning, e.g. where players are matched by ability and therefore have more opportunity to participate.
Task | ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to participate, e.g. in a ball game, all the players have the chance to carry/dribble, pass, shoot etc.; break down complex skills into smaller component parts if this helps players to more easily develop skills; ensure there is adequate opportunity for players to practice skills or components individually or with a partner before including in a small-sided team game.
Equipment | in ball games, increase or decrease the size of the ball to suit the ability or age range of the players, or depending on the kind of skill being practiced; provide options that enable people to send or receive a ball in different ways, e.g. using a chute or gutter to send, a catching mitt to receive; the use of bell or rattle balls can assist the inclusion of some players.
People | match players of similar ability in small-sided or close marking activities; balance team numbers according to the overall ability of the group, i.e. it may be preferable to play with teams of unequal numbers to facilitate inclusion of some players and maximise participation of others.
STEP is particularly useful when used in conjunction with the Modified approach of the Inclusion Spectrum. It provides an easy way of structuring changes to the activity. In summary, the Inclusion Spectrum model aims to reflect a social/environmental approach by: emphasising ways of `changing the environment’ rather than a focus on individual impairments; encouraging a differentiated and flexible approach – ‘stretching the task’; providing strategies and ideas that develop an inclusion mentality in practitioners encouraging them to maximise the abilities of their students and athletes. The efficacy of the Inclusion Spectrum model can only be estimated, but one measure may be its widespread adoption and use. Applying the Inclusion Spectrum and STEP in Post-disaster or Sport for Development scenarios The Inclusion Spectrum, and the associated STEP model, can provide the basis for the inclusion in any environment. In fact, its main advantage is that it can assist in the inclusion of any young person in a physical activity. Children and adults playing sport all have different abilities. Some people will dominate any sport or play activity if unchecked, to the detriment of the involvement of others. By applying the simple strategies found in the Inclusion Spectrum or STEP models, the activity can be better balanced, with the opportunity for everyone to participate and succeed. For example, if some players are dominating a ball game, zones can be introduced, their areas defined by simple markings. Players of equal ability are matched within each zone, which gives other players more opportunity to participate (modified approach, using ‘space’ from the STEP model). Or, create parallel versions of the same game or activity, with participants playing in the version most suited to their abilities (parallel approach). Where children play a collecting game, for example, gathering leaves or twigs of a certain colour, children who have mobility impairments can collect leaves within their reach scattered on the ground around them, whereas those who are more physically mobile run further afield. This open activity is the same game for all, but this minor modification can be built in from the beginning, rather than added later when children feel left out (open approach – incorporating modifications from the outset). Even very severely impaired children can be challenged to throw, roll or push whatever objects are to hand into targets, which can be as simple as circles marked on the ground. And the activity can be continuously modified. If they are successful, move the target further away to continue the challenge (modified approach, making changes to space, the actual task, the ‘equipment’ used, or the way in which the participants (people) interact). Lack of equipment can be overcome. There are many activities, like chase or tag games, that require no equipment. Children who have mobility impairments can also participate in chase games, perhaps by creating ‘safe zones’ where the chasers cannot tag them (modified approach). Equipment can also be modified from whatever material is at hand. The author recalls an inclusive games festival in the Pacific Region where a game of boccia (a target game played at the Paralympics and similar to French Boules or petanque) was played using coconut shells. The disability sport of goalball, mentioned above, requires a heavy ball filled with bells. This can be adapted by using any available ball and wrapping it with plastic bags to create a sound when it rolls (disability sport and equipment from STEP). (See photo 6) The role of inclusion in physical activity and sport cannot be measured. It brings together community members in cooperative ways. Fear and loathing can be replaced with mutual respect among young people who may previously have had little or no contact. Through play and sport, there is a unique opportunity for the contribution and participation of disabled children and adults to be valued and cherished. Contact through sport may create a more natural environment for future togetherness. Children who play together are more likely to stay together. The Youth Sport Trust was registered as a charity in 1994 with a mission to improve the quality of physical education and sport in school and community for all young people in the UK. They liaise with a wide range of partners: schools, national governing bodies of sport, government departments, other trusts and foundations and corporate funders. YST has been directly responsible for the creation of a school and community-based sporting infrastructure, specialist sports colleges and school sport partnership. They have also generated international programmes, principally Dreams and Teams a sports leadership programme for young people, linking schools in the UK with partner schools around the world via the British Council (www.youthsporttrust.org). The IDP course was re-launched in 2008 as ‘Including Disabled Pupils in Mainstream and Special School PE’ – a major plank in the EFDS training portfolio. Published as ‘Soccability’ Physical Education: the National Curriculum for England key stages 1-4 (2000) ISBN 0112708927 www.sportscoachuk.org For example, a workshop on the Inclusion Spectrum was presented by Black at the International Symposium on Adapted Physical Activity, Rio Claro, Brazil in 2007. (See Black K 2007, The Inclusion Spectrum: A Practical Model for Inclusive Physical Activity in Book of Proceedings – www.rc.unesp.br/ib/efisica/isapa/welcome) Contact Ken Black Adviser on Inclusive Physical Activity and Sport Consultant, ICES Project (International Inspiration program) Loughborough University Loughborough, UK Email: kenblackemail@gmail.com http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 The Inclusion Spectrum: A Model for Including all Young People in Physical Activity and Sport Ken Black