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Lesson 1 Introduction to disability rights
Australian Curriculum Links

ACPPS079 Examine the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity

  • examining values and beliefs about cultural and social issues such as disability, gender, race, sexuality and violence.
  • investigating how respecting diversity and challenging disability discrimination, racism, sexism and homophobia influence individual and community health and wellbeing
Integrated Teaching Learning and Assessment Resources


Introduction

  • Explain to students this lesson and upcoming lessons will be focusing on disability rights and inclusive sports.

    As a class, discuss the term ‘disability’, and discuss the different types of disability e.g. intellectual, physical and sensory, physcosocial
  • Introduce the concept of disability rights. As a class or in small groups, students brainstorm the rights of people with disabilities. After the brainstorm, facilitate a class discussion to ensure students understand that people with disabilities have the same rights as people without disabilities, including the right to participate in sporting and recreational activities. Through this activity, introduce and discuss the terms ‘equal opportunity’, ‘accessibility’, ‘inclusion’ and ‘participation’.
     
  • As a class discuss the importance of using respectful language, which is an important part of human rights. Get students to draw up two columns in their book titled ‘HOT’ and ‘NOT’. Give each student a HOT card and NOT card. Use the vocabulary and phrases from the Don’t dis my ability: what’s hot, what’s not language guide and get students to raise their sign on whether they think the word is ‘hot’ or ‘not’. Students then write the terms down under the correct column in their books.
     
  • Literacy activity: The interactive crossword information gap activity is a pre-vocabulary exercise that will help students become more familiar with the key vocabulary used in the Resource sheet: Background information – sport and people with disabilities and throughout the unit.

    Divide students into pairs to conduct an interactive crossword information gap activity. Each student in the pair will get either the across solutions or the down solutions. They must not show each other the solutions. Instead students need to ask questions e.g. ‘what is one across’ and the other person has to answer by explaining the definition, which the first person matches to their word bank. It is important to note students should not mention the ‘solution’ in their explanations/definitions. Depending upon the students, you may like to provide a general word bank of the words included in the crossword puzzle.

    Alternatively, this activity can be conducted as a whole class interactive activity e.g. the teacher has the ‘across’ solutions while students have the ‘down’ solutions.

    The list of words included in the crossword activity are: ‘disability’, ‘public life’, ‘unlawful’, ‘equal access’, ‘treaty’, ‘take action’, ‘discrimination’, ‘equal basis’, ‘mainstream’, ‘provision’, ‘recreational’, ‘tourism’, ‘venues’, ‘leisure’, ‘services, ‘inclusion’ and ‘participation’. The words included in the crossword activity are primarily sourced from the Resource sheet: Background information – sports and people with disabilities. 

    Teacher’s Note: Where the answer is more than one word, a space has been left on the crossword grid between the words.
  • Following up the interactive crossword activity, as a class, students go through and discuss the Resource sheet: Background information – sports and people with disabilities. 

    As a class or in small groups, students brainstorm the physical, mental and emotional benefits of participating in sport for individuals and the broader community. This exercise will help consolidate the notion that accessible sport is important.
  • In pairs or as individuals, students complete the Activity sheet: Sport and people with disabilities. Prior to the completion of the worksheets, the terms ‘mainstream sport’ and ‘disability specific sport’ may need to be defined and discussed. Be sure to encourage students to consider a broad range of disabilities, such as physical, sensory, psychosocial and intellectual.

    Facilitate a short classroom discussion to go through student responses.

Resource sheet: Background information - Sports and people with a disability

Activity sheet: Sports and people with disabilities - interactive crossword (across solutions and down solutions)

Activity sheet: Sports and people with a disability

Don’t dis my ability language guide: what’s hot, what’s not 


Lessons 2-3 Inclusive sport (Modified, adapted and disability sports)
Australian Curriculum Links

ACPPS073 Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing

  • researching opportunities in the local community to participate in regular physical activity and examining how accessible these opportunities are for students
Integrated Teaching Learning and Assessment Resources

Pre-viewing/Scaffolding Activities

Teacher’s Note: In the Disability Convention it is recognised that disability is an evolving concept and no fixed definition of disability is provided. This is illustrated by the fact that the Convention’s use of the terms ‘disability sports’, ‘mainstream sport’ and ‘disability specific sport’ are now considered somewhat outdated. ‘Inclusive sport’ is the preferred overarching term used here, however in order to be consistent with the language of the Convention, references to Convention terms are included in this resource.

  • Introduce the following terminology: modified sports, adapted sports and disability sports.
    • Modified sports – sports that have been modified from regular versions of the sport, to meet the needs of players’ ages, size, abilities, skills and experiences e.g. touch football.

      As a class, students could discuss the similarities and differences between the mainstream and modified versions of touch football. This information could be represented using a Venn diagram. This will help students better understand the term ‘modified sport’.
       
    • Adapted sports – sports that have been adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities, e.g. wheelchair basketball. The term ‘able-bodied’ will need to be explained to students.

      As a class, students could discuss the similarities and differences between the mainstream and adapted versions of wheelchair basketball. This information could be represented using a Venn diagram. This will help students better understand the term ‘adapted sport’.
       
    • Disability sports – (also disabled sports or parasports) sports that are played by people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Could be adapted sports, or disability-specific sports. There may need to a discussion about the differences between physical and intellectual disabilities.
       
  • In groups, pairs or as individuals, students research an adapted or modified sport. Provide students with the Activity sheet: Researching adapted or modified sports to scaffold the research. Students could either generally research about an adapted or modified sport, or research about an adapted or modified sport in their local area. This information could be presented as a report using Microsoft Word.

    Alternatively, students could collaboratively use Google sites to create a class website about adapted and modified sports. Divide students into small groups. Each group researches a different adapted or modified sport. Provide students with a copy of the Activity sheet to scaffold the research. Students create a webpage on the class website to present information about their researched sport.

Activity sheet: Researching an adapted or modified sport

Microsoft Word / Google sites


Lesson 4 Rockwheelers video: participation in sports
Australian Curriculum Links

ACPPS075 Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity

  • investigating personal, social and cultural factors that influence the way individuals respond emotionally to different situations


ACPPS079 Examine the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity

  • examining values and beliefs about cultural and social issues such as disability, gender, race, sexuality and violence.
    investigating how respecting diversity and challenging disability discrimination, racism, sexism and homophobia influence individual and community health and wellbeing 
     

ACPPS070 Investigate the impact of transition and change on identities

  • identifying feelings and emotions associated with transitions, and practising self-talk and help-seeking strategies to manage these transitions
Integrated Teaching Learning and Assessment Resources

Viewing Activities

  • Introduce the Rockwheelers video. Explain that it is about Paul Gooda and his experience of becoming involved in wheelchair basketball. It explores how this helped him become more socially connected to his community. Watch the Rockwheelers video(5 min 32 sec) 

    Watch the video a second time. In pairs or small groups, students answer the viewing questions in the Activity Sheet: Rockwheelers – viewing questions to scaffold students’ comprehension of the video. Then facilitate a short classroom discussion to check meaning and discuss any other issues raised by the video.

Post-viewing Activities

  • Divide students into groups. Conduct a jigsaw activity using the Activity sheet: Rockwheelers – question cards to consolidate students’ understanding of the issues raised in the video. (For more information about jigsaw activities view the Jigsaw Classroom website)
  • Prior to conducting the jigsaw activity, the terms ‘emotional’ and ‘psychological’ factors need to be discussed. The questions discussed through this activity are:
    • What might stop a person with disabilities from participating in sport?
    • What are some of the benefits of participating in team sport?
    • Why might participation in a team sport be especially beneficial for people with disabilities?
    • Why might an person without disabilities participate in inclusive sport
    • What were some of the issues that Paul faced when learning to live as a person with disabilities?
    • What impact did his accident have on him? What strategies helped him make this transition?

Following up the jigsaw activity, facilitate a brief classroom discussion to conclude discussion about the video Rockwheelers.


Rockwheelers video (4mins 37 secs)
 

Activity sheet: Rockwheelers- viewing questions

Activity sheet: Rockwheelers - question cards


Lesson 5 Playing a modified sport
Australian Curriculum Links

ACPMP080 Use feedback to improve body control and coordination when performing specialised movement skills

  • participating in activities without vision to demonstrate the importance of auditory feedback

ACPMP088 Modify rules and scoring systems to allow for fair play, safety and inclusive participation

  • modifying rules, equipment or scoring systems to allow all participants to enjoy and succeed
Integrated Teaching Learning and Assessment Resources

Movement and Physical Activities

  • As a class, students design an inclusive sport (e.g. modified basketball, football, goalball) by altering the rules and the scoring system of the sport. For instance, students could play on their knees using kneepads, play using only one hand, play blindfolded, or play without hearing etc.

Ensure there is time at the end of the game to provide students the opportunity to debrief about their experience. The following questions could be used to guide the discussion:

  • How did your rules or scoring system work?
  • How did removing barriers to the sport through adapting rules and the scoring system contribute to fair play?
  • Do you think it made the game more inclusive?
  • How did removing barriers to the game change your body control and coordination?
  • Do you think the inclusive version of the sport is as challenging?
Regular sports equipment

Wheelchairs for wheelchair basketball

See organisations :
Wheelchair sports NSW 
Australian Sports Commission 

Lesson 6 Challenging stereotypes in sport
Australian Curriculum Links

ACPPS079 Examine the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity

  • examining values and beliefs about cultural and social issues such as disability, gender, race, sexuality and violence.
  • investigating how respecting diversity and challenging disability discrimination, racism, sexism and homophobia influence individual and community health and wellbeing
Integrated Teaching Learning and Assessment Resources
  • In pairs or small groups, students write an op-ed piece for a newspaper to challenge the perception that inclusive sports (such as modified, adapted or disability sports) are not as challenging as mainstream sports. Students need to also refer to how respecting diversity and promoting inclusivity in sport has broader health and wellbeing benefits for the community.

    This task needs to be scaffolded carefully. Suggestions include:
    • Explain what an op-ed is, who writes it, and why an op-ed is written. Inform students that the purpose of an op-ed is to introduce different perspectives to the readers. It aims to stimulate discussion in the community and o can be used as an advocacy tool.
       
    • Provide students with an example of an op-ed. In small groups or pairs, students identify the language features and structure of this text type using the provided op-ed example.

      Alternatively, students could also be provided with examples of well written and poorly written op-eds. The task for students then is to compare the op-ed pieces to identify the appropriate language features and structure of a well written example of this text type. Some features of an op-ed include: use of active voice in sentences; concise sentences; short paragraphs; persuasive language; absence of jargon; use third person (can use first person); use of anecdotes; opinions are supported by facts, statistics and/or examples; acknowledgement of different viewpoint that is then refuted by facts; use of linking words to give examples, show reasons and give another argument ; usually uses informal language
       
    • In small groups, students brainstorm arguments and evidence to challenge the perception that inclusive sports (such as modified, adapted or disabled sports) are not as challenging as mainstream sports. For instance, students could refer to their own experience of playing a modified sport. Students should also refer to local, national and international athletes with disabilities, and relevant programs and competitions to support their argument. Students could also discuss the benefits of inclusive sport for individuals and the broader community.

      To guide the brainstorm, provide students with the Activity sheet: Op-ed template.

Activity sheet: Op-ed template

Resources: Examples of op-eds can be found on the following websites: