Building awareness about Inclusive & Adapted Physical Education
Extension activities of GAPEY
1. Seminars and Orientation Programs
GAPEY conducts independent workshops and also some in collaboration with FDMSE. The participants include Physical Educators, Special Educators and Physio-therapists. We also organizes several workshops every year for bringing awareness in public regarding sports. A portion of them is dedicated for Adapted games. Our Physical teacher trainees organize Sports meet as a part of their academic curriculum. In all these sports meets, Special Children of FDMSE therapy units take part. This encourages and promotes the concept of Inclusive Physical Education.
2. Unified Play festival
As its name indicates Unified Play Day (UPD), is an annual play festival with equal participation of Children with Disabilities and Normal children, innovated by the Faculty. This event was started by the Faculty in the year 2008. Every year Physical Education Trainees of our Faculty go forth to various inclusive/special/normal schools in and around Coimbatore to train the children to participate in UPD events. In 2013-14 a total of 48 schools were covered benefiting 300 students. The Trainees (about 100) are also trained simultaneously at our Faculty in the matters of “Inclusive and Adapted Physical Education”. The events of UPD includes adapted play items, various therapy stalls like, Music therapy, Physio-therapy, Kolam therapy (Art used as a means of therapy) etc., and awareness exhibitions regarding Disability issues. There is a total participation of 1000 people in 2013-14. 600 parents and special teachers, 300 children and 100 trainees participated in the event.
Unified Play festival serves three purposes:
It brings awareness in Public, Parents, and Children with disabilities and special Educators about Inclusive and Adapted Physical Education.
It helps the children develop a sportive and healthy attitude towards disability.
It trains the Trainees in the field of Inclusive Physical Education.
The following projects are in pipe line
- A book on Adapted Physical Education is about to be released.
- Exhibition material to bring awareness regarding Adapted Physical Education and Yoga
- Exhibition material on Kalari-Payattu, a traditional martial art of Kerala.