Supporting vulnerable children using Inclusive and Adapted sport

I think we can all appreciate the huge potential that physical activity has to enhance our wellbeing. Even relatively short bursts of exercise like going for a brisk walk can increase our mental alertness, energy and generate a positive mood. 

So when it comes to our kids, I'm sure that we fully embrace the value of exercise to our children’s Health. However, we often assume that because kids are kids, they have energy to burn and get all the exercise that they can handle, at school and from enjoying all kinds of sport. But guess what?

NOT ALL KIDS LOVE SPORT.   SAY WHAT?

It seems, It’s about perception.  A recent survey explored how young people regard sport. The survey divided children into two groups, Sporty and Non-Sporty 

So, how do SPORTY KIDS think about sports?

When speaking to the young people, in the "Sporty" group, the activities that they most associated with sport tended to be what might be considered ‘traditional sports’, such as: Rugby, Football, Hockey, Tennis and Athletics.

Someone like Joe here, is convinced about the merits of Sport. 

Joe said, "When you’ve had a tough training session and you’re really feeling it, you know you’ve worked hard and it just makes you feel good." 

Physical activity has been shown to have a positive impact on our mood. There are many studies that seem to show that people felt more content, more awake and calmer after being physically active compared to after periods of inactivity. They also found that the effect of physical activity on mood was greatest when mood was initially low.

Interestingly, the survey showed that there were several instances where young people that viewed themselves as ‘non-sporty’ were involved in fitness or active lifestyles but didn’t see that as sportiness.  

This included: Horse riding, cycling to get about, walking, yoga.

Someone like Pete here, really wasn't

convinced of the merits of competitive sport.  Typically agreeing with statements such: 

"In PE it’s not like we’re playing in a cup match, but some people take it so seriously and are so competitive – it really takes any fun out of it.”

Impact on self-esteem

Exercise not only has a positive impact on our physical health, but it can also increase our self-esteem. Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves and how we perceive our self-worth. It is a key indicator of our mental wellbeing and our ability to cope with life stressors.

Physical activity has been shown to have a positive influence on our self-esteem and self-worth. This relationship has been found in children, adolescents, young adults, adults and older people, and across both males and females.

So, how can we better engage with children like Pete?

What we learnt from Disability SPORT. 

Adapted and Inclusive sports activities were designed to engage and support people with a disability. We have found that for sports and sporting activities to engage, they must.....

Provide a challenging yet fun experience. They must be a safe and inclusive activity. They should provide opportunities for expression. Sports that are specific or adapted, have to be 

Easy to take part in. Be able to accommodate all skill levels. Be flexible regarding competition. They should also provide

a sense of belonging: a feeling of being respected, valued for who you are.

So, It’s NOT just about Disability

Adapted and Inclusive Sports, Like Siting Volleyball are great fun and they Engage. They work!  Table Cricket or Polybat. Soft, easy to do activities.




These types of activities can provide the  perfect  "Hook" to engage with "Non-Sporty" kids but still have all the physical and mental health 
benefits listed above.

So, how can we better engage and deliver to both our Sporty and Non-Sporty kids?  Well, let’s Mix it up.

A mixture of traditional, non-traditional and non-competitive activities is key to developing a successful inclusive PE programme engaging all students.

Level the playing field.

Play floor activities where everyone is on the same level (e.g. sitting volleyball).

Whilst there is still a big demand for traditional sports such as rugby and football in school, 

introducing new sports such as Sitting Volleyball, Boccia and simulated Visually Impaired activities such as Goalball has been highly popular with students.

The bottom line. Make it Fun and make it Inclusive.

Who are you calling disabled?

 

I’m interested in how we use words to describe and define things in our society. I’ve been working as a Disability Sports Coach for several years and deliver disability awareness training and coaching workshops designed to help young coaches engage more effectively with people with disabilities.

At some point during a training session or workshop we will inevitably cover the subject of communication and labels. I do an exercise with two headings- Acceptable or Not-Acceptable. I then hand out small cards printed with the names of the usual suspects: wheelchair user, wheelchair bound, blind, visually impaired, autistic, retarded etc., etc. I ask the participants to put the cards under the heading they think are most appropriate. The exercise is always very popular with some descriptions and definitions more obvious than others.

One that often confuses people is Dwarf. Some put that under the Not-Acceptable heading even though the term Dwarf has been used as a category in various Para Sport events for years. Language is constantly changing and now the term short statue is often substituted. Some people of “Short Statue” are perfectly used to and take no offence to the word Dwarf.

One of my favourite and most common example, is a toilet Accessible or Disabled? Of course, we all know, don’t we boys and girls, that the correct term is Accessible since a Disabled Toilet is a toilet that is Out of Order?

I shy away from the term “disabled person” preferring to use “a person or persons with a disability”. However, many organisations suggest we should use the phrase “disabled person”.  My work brings me into contact with Special Needs children and when I hear a child described as a “physically disabled boy or girl,” I feel that It places the emphasis too much on the disability, suggesting that their differences are the only things we need to know about them.

Labels are not the problem. The dictionary defines label as “a descriptive word or phrase applied to a person, group, theory, etc., as a convenient generalized classification” However in a world that is becoming ever more politically correct, with new definitions such as “able-disabled, differently-abled, handi-capables, and people with differing abilities”, does calling someone a person with a disability, really make any difference? After all, presumably they know that they are a person; they don’t need us to tell them.

Does what we call a person result in them being treated with any more understanding? Perhaps changing attitudes and assumptions is what we should strive for rather than being so preoccupied with labels. Of course, changing attitudes and values is a much more difficult task than simply changing language. Perhaps that is why we “able bodied”, sorry, “non-disabled” people spend so much time agonising over labels, definitions and descriptions. 

Changing the label, we use to identify or classify a person’s disability won’t lessen the impact of their disability. Changing Societies attitudes just might.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, Sport and me!

My name is Steve Morley. I am an Inclusion Coach. So, what exactly is an Inclusion coach?
it’s someone who is passionate about Inclusion. The definition of Inclusion is - the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure. In many parts of our society people are simply not included. Some people are constantly subjected to various forms of inequality or discrimination. Some people become marginalised or victimised due to their physicality, race, gender or sexual orientation. This Inequality permeates our World, affecting everything from day to day living through to our businesses, commerce and government. We seem to be living in a “Me First” Society where community and common good has given way to “what’s in it for me?”

From an early age I had two great interests, Sport and Business and was moderately successful at both. I wanted to be a top sports star and I wanted to be rich.  I had a very blinkered view of the World, was very selfish and very competitive. However, financial problems and family health issues began to change my attitude to life. When I had a heart attack in 2010 it felt like the metamorphosis was complete. I can’t pretend to have had an Epiphany, but I did start to see the World in a different way. I took early retirement and began working for local charities, coaching and providing inclusive and adapted sports for children with disabilities. Since then my “job description” as an Inclusion Coach has evolved.

 Last year I formed a business called “Ifnotme -inclusion coaching Ltd and, for me, being an Inclusion coach means being an educator, a trainer and a facilitator. I use my experience in the sporting world, to create opportunities for disenfranchised people to be “Included” and, working with companies and organisations I try to help people reflect on these issues, to live a more balanced life and to become more authentic human beings.

I do my very best to practice what I preach and try to, as the quote says,
“Be the change you want to see in the World”  

My work gives me the opportunity 
to work with
many “hard to reach groups” for example people with disabilities. Of course, as a Sports Coach, I use Adapted and Inclusive sports to engage and support.

 

However, many non-disabled young people have a troubled relationship with PE, sport and physical activity too.

One thinks about the young person with issues about their body, those overweight or underweight. Or those with eczema, scars or other physical conditions which cause them embarrassment. Young people with low self-esteem, self-image or confidence.

Those who struggle with English, or from a culture where families are culturally conservative or tend to gender stereotype and so think PE and sport are not for girls. The young woman who feels being good at or enjoying sport makes her look unfeminine. What about the boy who is worried about getting hit by the cricket ball, or hurt in the football tackle? Or Boys who don't like sport or PE but whose family put pressure on them to be 'sporty'. And, Girls or boys from families who themselves have had negative experiences in PE or sport.

All the above can benefit from a more inclusive and adapted approach to sport. That is what I preach.

The definition of Inclusion, after all, is - the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure.

I’m sure we all know people who dreaded sports days and would have given anything to avoid the PE class. By using adaptive, inventive and inclusive activities we can often engage with children who, for many reasons, are not drawn to or naturally good at mainstream and traditional sports.

Everybody should be able to experience the joy that taking part in sport can bring, the connections that can be made, the sense of accomplishment and the feeling of being part of something bigger.

Most importantly, let’s take the dread out of sport and by making it “Inclusive”, make it FUN for all!

                                                             

Why I love to Run.

I love to run. As a rule, I manage to get out and run on average about three times a week. So, I love running. Recently the pressures of my work have meant that I haven't managed to get out and run as much as I’d like.

Blowing away the Cobwebs

The other day I got out the door and had the first decent run I’ve had in a while and boy did it blow away the cobwebs? I really enjoyed it. it was great, and it made me appreciate just how good running is for me. A recent article in Runner’s World magazine suggested that it’s one of the best ways to get your weekly quota of physical activity. Apparently, recent studies say that runners live an average of up to three years longer and have a thirty percent lower risk of all-cause mortality than inactive people.

Many well documented studies showing health benefits

There are many documented studies showing the benefits of running and how it works on many levels. It seems that running helps to lower your resting heart rate. I'm approaching 65 so, as an older adult my heart rate is lower anyway, but I’ve been running for a good few years now and my resting heart rate is about 45 bpm which I think is pretty good by any standards. Running has also been pretty good at lowering my blood pressure over the years and has certainly improved my cardiorespiratory function.

Follow the Pied Piper

I had a Heart Attack in 2010 and some people feel that I shouldn’t be running at all. For me running was a path back to fitness and I do believe that running helps to keep my heart healthier for all the reasons listed above. They do say that running can reduce your risk of heart disease by as much as 45%. I have certainly felt the benefits. It is all too easy after going through some physical trauma to sit back a wrap (or allow others) to wrap you in cotton wool. No doubt people mean well, but it doesn't help.

Interestingly, it’s not just heart and lungs. It seems that runners possess greater insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake as well as greater HDL (Good) cholesterol levels. In addition, running boosts muscular mass and bone density, which suggests that runners might have a lower risk of osteoarthritis the non-runners.

As well as the obvious physical benefits, there is lots of research out there that suggests running is good for your mental wellbeing too. So, It’s clear to me that running is good for me mentally and physically, but did you know that studies have shown that it can also increase brain power? There is research showing that it's had an impact on the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex of the brain which can lead to higher cognitive functions and much less incidents of depressive symptoms.

So, both from a physical and from a neurological point of view running seems to be a good thing. It certainly works for me anyway and that's why I love to run.

I have written a short e-book about my experiences as a runner, both before and after my Heart attack. It's called Running with A Wounded Heart and is available at the very modest price .

  amazon.co.uk/Running-wounded-heart

Also, you may be interested in my new book, Too Old to Ultra, which will be available  to
 Pre-Order in March 2019

Patience, Patience, Patience

Another Running Post, I'm afraid. Let's hope that I've not repeated myself too much Ha, ha. I’m an Inclusion coach, so I work with many different groups of people. I also deliver workshops to mainstream coaches, giving them some ideas on how to better engage with said groups. When coaching generally and certainly when working with people with Neurological or Mental Health conditions, I encourage young coaches to exercise patience. I think, all of us, appreciate the value of patience.

I just wish I could practice what I preach when it comes to my running.

Nothing like the look and feel of a new pair of trainers

The problem that I have, these days, is that, I sometimes must put up with the old chestnut of “Stephen is not getting any younger”. or similar from certain members of my family.

I’m sixty-five, not that sixty-five is considered old these days. There are probably hundreds of running clubs all over the UK with Senior runners my age and older. So, I can’t make any excuses. The problem I struggle with is getting make into shape after a long layoff. If I’ve had an injury, some sickness, or just been too busy or too bloody idle to get out and run, it takes me forever to get back into any kind of reasonable form.

I start off with all good intentions. I subscribe to the Phil Maffertone 180-formula

180-formula

180 minus a person’s chronological age, which is then adjusted to reflect their physiological age as indicated by fitness and health factors.  In my case 180 – 65 gives me a heart rate ceiling of 115 beats a minute. You can allow yourself an extra 5 beats per minute,


if you have been running for some years and are generally reasonably fit. So, I train at 120 bpm.  The rational for this system of training is that you are running at your maximum aerobic rate. So, as your fitness improves, your Aerobic efficiency improves. I just wish I could practice what I preach when it comes to my running.

I can confirm that this does work. When I first start back training, I am puffing and panting and must constantly stop and walk to keep my heart rate down to the desired level. However, after several weeks I find that I can run steadily keeping my heart rate on or just below the 120.

As my training progresses my lap times slowly start to come down, whilst keeping my heart rate 

My big problem though is Patience!  My life as a runner is like a giant game of Snakes & Ladders. As I get older, the Snakes seem longer as I slide down following injury or layoffs and the Ladders are higher taking increasingly longer to climb back up.

Dealing with setbacks. As an athlete you will inevitably get setbacks of one sort or another. As an older athlete or one with health issues you may get more than most.  

It is important to try to put these in perspective. Be mindful to what is important in your life. If you are injured and must rest up, then rest

The sooner you rest and heal properly, the sooner you will be out running again.

Swimming is good or the exercise bike or rower if you can’t put weight on your legs. There are many ways you can help keep your fitness level up whilst you heal and recover. 

The 180 formula works but it's so slooooow!

Once I’m warmed up and breathing ok, having to stop and walk to keep my heart rate down becomes increasingly frustrating.

So, of course, this is where I need to practice what I preach. I know that this way of training works for me. I know that with patience I WILL get back to a decent degree of running fitness. I just have to exercise, not just my body but also exercise a lot of.....

 Patience, patience, patience.

I have written a short e-book about my time running, both before and after my Heart Attack in 2010. It's available on Amazon if you'd like to check it out. I also have a new book out in July called "Too Old to Ultra" about my attempts at Ultra running.