Grandview Childrens Centre for UOIT May 16, 2012. (Ian Goodall/Goodall Media Inc.)
My name is Meghann Lloyd and I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada. Although there are many members of the IFAPA board from North America, I am the North American Representative elected to the IFAPA board. This is my second term on the board after being re-elected in Israel in 2015. I completed my Master’s in Adapted Physical Activity at McGill University and my Doctorate at The University of Michigan. I have therefore lived and studied in the two countries (Canada & USA) that make up the North American Region.
Adapted Physical Activity is quite well established in North America, particularly in the USA with adapted physical educators working in schools across the country. North America has a strong record of research, and applied approaches to Adapted Physical Activity.
The North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (NAFAPA) is the North American branch of the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (IFAPA). It is an international organization dedicated to the promotion, dissemination and practical application of results and findings in the field of physical activity for the benefit of populations with disabilities and/or special needs. NAFAPA has a coordinating function with international, national and regional organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, which are concerned with the scientific aspects of adapted physical activity, physical education, rehabilitation therapy, recreation, sport and leisure activities for persons with disabilities or special needs. For more information visit the NAFAPA website at www.nafapa.org.
NAFAPA hosts a symposium every other year. In 2014 the Symposium was held at the University of Michigan. The next Symposium will be held in Edmonton, Canada at the University of Alberta on September 21-23, 2016.
There are several smaller applied conferences that occur in the USA every year in many states and regions; however, one national conference that many Adapted Physical Activity professionals attend is SHAPE America(formerly AAHPERD) which will be held in Minneapolis April 5-9, 2016.
