Adapted physical education (APE) is physical education that is modified so students with disabilities can fully participate in physical education. Adapted physical education teachers modify the physical education curriculum, task and/or environment in order for all students to fully involve themselves in physical education. In part, this aspect of teaching and education has developed because of laws governing the handicapped, and because of efforts to teach students with disabilities in a mainstream environment. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Federal law (PL 94-142, PL 101-476, PL 105-17) which “mandates that physical education be provided to students with disabilities and defines physical education as the development of: physical and motor skills; fundamental motor skills and patterns (throwing, catching, walking, running, etc.); skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports)” (What, 1998: 1). In other words, the goal of the adapted physical education teacher is to modify the physical education curriculum so that it is developmentally appropriate depending upon the disabilities of learners. The goal is to adapt, modify, and/or change the physical activity so that it is as appropriate for the disabled student as it is for a person without disability.
While there are many similarities to the physical education teacher and curriculum, adapted physical education teachers are required to have specialized training. This is not only because the student population with which they deal is disabled, but, because of these disabilities, there are often more disciplines involved where teacher knowledge, understanding and skill are concerned, “Studies on physical education and sports for persons with disabilities are an interdisciplinary domain in which theory and practice are closely intertwined. In fact, one of the primary objectives of profess...