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This section from www.communityinclusion.org – Institute Brief No. 9, Vol. 1, Recreation in the community

All recreation programs are unique. There are some basic strategies, however, that may be useful within general activities. Providers agreed that successful strategies evolve over time, through trial and error. It is important for program directors to know that they are not alone, and that using a team approach to modifying activities yields positive results. Below are some suggestions that were shared by recreation providers when reviewing common activities where accommodations have been used to promote full participation. 

Field Trips 

• Prepare participants with details of the trip.  

• Provide written communication of events/trips in the person's native language, including Braille.  

• Ensure that the activity site and transportation will be accessible.  

• Review transportation and community sites.  

• State rules simply and positively.

Arts and Crafts 

• Use an assortment of items to modify a craft (e.g., name stamp for a signature, thick paint brushes, pre-cut shapes, pre-drawn outlines for coloring, tape to hold down paper, large beads, or stickers).  

• Simplify directions by taking one step at a time.  

• Pair-up participants who can assist one another.  

• Be prepared to have back-up activities for those who finish more quickly or lose interest.  

• Match activity roles with participants' interests and talents, especially when working in groups. 

Free Time 

• Make materials available to facilitate interaction and conversation among peers (e.g., games, magazines, computer software).  

• Allow freedom to participate in activities without direct adult supervision.  

• Provide semi-structured activities for those students who may need them.  

• Respect all participants' choices.  

• Remember to praise students for following the rules during free time.  

Arrival/Departure Activities 

• Take time to preview the schedule of activities.  

• Remind participants each step that needs to be taken when arriving or leaving the program.  • Pair-up participants during transition times as well as during structured activities.  

• Have impromptu games available to keep participants together during down time. 

Homework Time

 • Clearly state beginning and end of homework time.  

• Select activities that will reflect what students are studying in school (e.g., if studying geography, a group could design a globe, paint a mural of the world, or ask students to describe the country they are from).  

• Use volunteers or older students to assist as tutors.  

• Check to make sure that students with more significant disabilities have homework, be prepared with project-based activities that relate to areas that students are working on in school. 

Group Games 

• Choose games that emphasize cooperation, not competition.  

• Always have creative variations of games available to participants.  

• When forming teams, rotate groups frequently so that participants have a chance to make new friends.  

• Have players come up with modifications for teammates or for themselves.  

• Remember, the goal is to have fun! 

This information brought to you by http://www.snipsf.org/tips-tools/.
This section from www.communityinclusion.org – Institute Brief No. 9, Vol. 1, Recreation in the Community  

One of the challenges recreation providers face is the reality of competition. Recreation staff may be concerned that an individual with disabilities is unable to compete with or against their peers. Providers worry about safety, and question their qualifications as coaches to instruct a person with a disability. Keep in mind that most people join a team or participate in sports to have fun and that most modifications for sports are simple and inexpensive. 

Although accommodations should be made on an individual basis, here are some basic tips to make popular sports more inclusive. 

These modifications are based on experience of Institute staff with sports programs and coaches, not as a result of interviews.  

Basketball 

• Ask participants to develop rules everyone can follow.  

• Lower the hoop or replace it with a waste basket.  

• Allow extra time to pass or shoot the ball.  

• Rotate so that every player takes a shot.  

• Have each player touch the ball before shooting.  

• Assign partners for each player. 

Kickball 

• Use different sized balls (e.g., an earth ball).  

• Allow sitting in a chair while kicking.  

• Offer the choice of being a kicker or a runner.  

• Allow a partner to catch or throw ball.  

• Use carpet squares to mark bases.  

• Use partners for running bases.  

• Pass three times before tagging runner out.  

• Mark outfielder positions. 

Swimming 

• Consider being flexible with skill levels (e.g., a person with a physical disability has difficulty floating on his own; his peers play games in deeper water. If the situation is safe, allow him to wear a floatation device).  

• Use the shallow end for instruction.  

• Use flotation devices with supervision.  

• Modify or eliminate diving starts.  

• Use songs or rhymes for stroke instruction.  

• Use fins or floats for slower swimmers during games. 

Volleyball 

• Use different sized balls (e.g., beach ball or balloons.)  

• Lower the net.  

• Allow players to stand closer to the net.  

• Allow some participants to toss ball rather than hit it. 

• Have each player touch the ball before it goes to the other side. 

Cooperative T-Ball (rules adapted from David Munsey-Kano) 

• Have all players in the field except for one batter and one person "on deck."  

• Allow the batter to swing until s/he gets a hit and to run down either foul line.  

• Place five small cones every 10 yards along foul lines.  

• Score points for each cone the batter reaches as the ball is moving.  

• Have the runner take field position and rotate a new person "on deck." 

Cooperative Games (rules adapted from Cooperation in Sports, Inc.) 

• Always have one team playing at a time; the object is to improve past scores, not to win.  

• Take the fun and challenging skills in a competitive version of a sport and try to preserve them.  

• Play against a clock allowing time outs.  

• Create rules that allow for a range of athletic ability on the same team.  

• Stress teamwork and cooperation. 

1. 1. 1. Use targets or goals that make noise when hit by the ball, or radios under the basket in a game of basketball.
          

      2. Vary the size, weight and texture of balls so students with visual impairment can more easily tell them apart.
          

      3. Designate a quiet area where students can take a break from the noise and hubbub, and another area where students can take movement breaks with mini-trampolines or squeeze balls.
          

      4. Use simple visual reminders and cues, such as photographs of students performing each pose of an exercise routine, to help students remember steps, rules or movements.
          

      5. Use smaller playing areas with well-defined boundaries, including tactile boundaries.
          

      6. Use Velcro on balls as well as in gloves, in mitts and on paddles, so every student can have success.
          

      7. Have students pair up so partners can assist each other.
          

      8. Lower baskets and nets, enlarge goals and targets, and loosen or eliminate time limits.
          

      9. Give students choices to help them feel empowered in their physical education.
          

      10. Keep it consistent: Students with many types of disabilities benefit from knowing what to expect, including what the rules and expectations are, what types of activities they will be doing, what types of noises they will hear and make, and when all of these will occur. 

 Source: Marathon Kids: Best Adapted and Inclusive PE Games