Authentic

Sporting
Experiences for
Athletes with
Disabilities
The Continuum of
Placement Options
Published in 1987 in
Integration Continuum for
Sport Participation
Developed by Joseph Winnick,
this continuum describes the
five program options that can
be offered so that all students
can reap the benefits of sport
participation.
1. Regular Sport
2. Regular Sport with
Accommodations
3. Regular and Adapted
Sport
a.

Unified Sports

4. Adapted Sport
Integrated
5. Adapted Sport
Segregated
a.

Special Olympics

What are Unified

Sports?
The Unified Sports movement
has continued to grow in recent
years and is centered on
providing a greater variety of
options for athletes with
disabilities. Falling into
Winnicks third category on the
participation continuum,
Unified Sports aim to provide
all participants with the
beneficial experiences that arise
from athletic competition while
also adapting some of the rules
of particular sports at times to
allow for greater accessibility.
Below is more information
regarding Unified Sports in the
state of Maine.

Maine Principals Association

50 Industrial Drive
Augusta, Maine 04330
http://www.mpa.cc/index.php

University of Maine
at Farmington

Spreading awareness for

including & supporting
students with disabilities
in competitive sports

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Resources & Further

Information
On Inclusion in Sports:
NCAA Inclusion Resources
http://www.ncaa.org/about/res
ources/inclusion
American Academy of Pediatrics

The Impact of Creating Authentic Sporting

Experiences
For Athletes with Disabilities
Sporting experiences are important for
everyone but, in some circumstances, students
with disabilities arent given the same
opportunities to experience sports to the full extent
possible. Instead, many athletes with disabilities
are regulated to aweing sports moments that are
typically choreographed and allow the individual
to only briefly participate in the regular version of
a sport. To prevent this treatment, more options,
awareness, and knowledge is necessary.
Individuals with disabilities and their families
deserve the same treatment and experiences that
other individuals receive when they participate in
sports. Moving away from stereotypes and false
preconceived notions is the first step to providing

equal access and opportunity to sports. To provide

more authentic experiences for these individuals,
further options are necessary that allow for as full of
an experience as possible, rather than only offering
regular or segregated sporting options.
Anyone who has played sports can acknowledge
the many benefits that these experiences generate,
especially in the kinesthetic and social realms.
Athletes with disabilities need and deserve these
experiences just as much as their peers, especially
considering the impact they can have on their lives.
Therefore, it is crucial that schools and communities
examine their current practices to ensure these
athletes arent simply given two options that they may
or may not find accessible and/or beneficial.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.
org/content/121/5/1057
D.O.E. Clarifications
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offic
es/list/ocr/letters/colleague201301-504.pdf

On Unified Sports:
Special Olympics
http://www.specialolympics.org
/Sections/Sports-andGames/Coaching_Guides/Unifie
d_Sports.aspx
Maine Principal Association
http://www.mpa.cc/index.php/i
nterscholastic-activities-andcommittees/unified-sports