Summer issue of The Advocate is now available to read for NCPEID members. Topics include

  • Message from the President – Necessity is the Mother of Invention
  • President’s Final Message
  • APE Teachers Advocate to Retain Staff Positions and Services in Portland School District
  • Can APE Practicum Still be Effective Due to COVID?
  • Advocacy Efforts
  • Awards Update: Recognition of Outstanding Individuals
  • NCPEID’s COVID Conversations
  • The Adapted Project

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Michelle Grenier, PhD, University of New Hampshire

On behalf of the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) Board of Directors (BOD), we hope that you, your family, friends, colleagues and students are safe and well, particularly during this time. In this current climate of educational uncertainty, we find NCPEID emerging as a leader in providing educational resources to its membership. As an organization, we will work hard on your behalf to support strong educational and recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

This issue provides a sample of the work we have begun. This past June, NCPEID launched a series of webinars entitled COVID conversations. These conversations brought together educators- both practitioners and faculty members in higher education to provide insights and resources on topics ranging from service provisions to students with disabilities, resources for teaching on-line coursework in APE, and Practicum in adapted and general physical education. More so, the Covid Conversations provided a community platform for sharing resources to meet the educational needs of individuals with disabilities across of range of academic levels.

Also in this issue, Suzanna Dillon and Garth Tymeson provide a description of the needed actions to restore Adapted Physical Education in the Portland, Oregon school system. The collective efforts of our NCPEID colleagues, teachers – both APE and GPE, community members and SHAPE America were successful in reversing the decision to eliminate APE instruction to students with disabilities. The article also provides a list of talking points beneficial to school educators advocating for APE services.

Providing our preservice teachers practicum experiences during COVID is another topic discussed by Melissa Bittner, Barry Lavay and Garth Tymeson. Their unique and creative efforts provide examples of strategies that can be adopted in both adapted and general physical education settings. Thanks to Melissa, Barry and Garth for your work.
I would also like to recognize our new members of the Board: Nicole Kirk is an assistant professor at the University of Georgia and will be serving as a member-at-large (MAL). Amy Oliver, a PhD student at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI and Mason Sur, a PhD student at Slippery Rock University will be serving as student representatives.

NCPEID continues to advocate for appropriate educational programs for students with disabilities. Likewise, NCPEID leadership will continue to provide educational opportunities that provide support to its membership and to all those working with students with dishabilles. As NCPEID’s mission is to is to promote, stimulate, and encourage legislative mandates, professional preparation, advocacy, research, and professional practice, we look forward to expanding our continued efforts to better serve our membership.

Michelle Grenier, PhD
President (2020-2022)

To read more and the other articles in the Advocate, visit the NCPEID website – https://ncpeid.memberclicks.net/