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Including and challenging everyone while maintaining the integrity of the activity

Golden rule of inclusion

When adapting and modifying any activity or program it is important that the teacher, coach or sport deliverer ensures fair participation for people with and without disability. Balance needs to be maintained between maximising each person’s potential for involvement and success, and maintaining the integrity of the activity. This means just enough changes should be made to an activity so that it is meaningful and challenging for the entire group, but not so many that the specific skills required for the activity are under-utilised. It may not be necessary to modify the game’s rules or equipment for everybody just to include one person; it may only require a change for that person.

The balancing act

Maintain the integrity of the activity = Maximise individual potential

How to maintain the integrity of the activity

Know the goals of the program

• Know which skills, or aspects, of the activity are important for everyone
• Know where you can be flexible in your activity/program

Keep the goals of the activity/program in mind when making modifications

• Be flexible and not afraid to modify within these boundaries
• Provide alternatives for people with disability, if needed
• Question any modifications (for example, will the integrity of the activity be affected if the type of bat is changed, a zoning rule is introduced, or a new sport replaces a ‘traditional’ one?)

Challenge all participants

• Could modifications help able-bodied athletes, as well as athletes with disability, to participate more fully and achieve
  greater success?
• Introduce new activities and/or think of different ways to do the same activity that can challenge all participants.

Encourage participants to value difference

• Encourage all participants to experiment with different equipment and rules to find what suits them best
• Encourage participants to make changes to the rules to facilitate meaningful participation for all

Things to consider

• Changes do not have to be permanent. Some may be phased out over time as skills and confidence increase
• Try as much as possible to include all the members of your group in the game. Be conscious of keeping all participants challenged
• Engage individuals in modifying the activities, when appropriate, as they will be your best source of solutions
• It may not be necessary to modify the game’s rules or equipment for everybody just to include one person, it may only require a change for that one person.
• There are situations where including everybody all the time may not be possible. Safety considerations are always a priority for each individual and the entire group. Use your common sense
• Always maintain the integrity of the game: do not modify a game so much that it no longer resembles the game you were playing at the outset