Inclusionary Practices in Physical Education

Abstract

Inclusion is the practice of educating students with disabilities in the same environment with their peers. There has been much discussion and disagreement on how and when inclusion should be used. In this paper, a variety of topics were discussed. These topics included the following: a) What is inclusion, b) benefits of inclusionary practices, c)factors that may contribute to an unsuccessful inclusionary program, d) how an inclusive Physical Education program can be developed and fostered, and e) some topic areas involving inclusion that warrant future research. The research involved in writing this paper came from periodicals and books as well as from speaking with a variety of individuals on the topic of inclusion. The information presented was then examined and analyzed. The analysis included a discussion of the majority of the topics listed above. Based on the findings it could be recommended that everyone involved in an inclusive program should be properly educated on inclusion, and inclusion can not be successful unless the needs of the student are considered the greatest importance.