Sport at secondary school

Physical education and sport is an area where a student's physical disability cannot be hidden or shrugged off, an environment which is by definition competitive and where hemiplegia is an obvious disadvantage.

Many of the young people questioned when we put together this information stressed how demoralising it was always to finish last, always to be picked last. And yet physical fitness is, if anything, more important for people with disabilities than for their able bodied peers.

Problems

• poor balance
• weakness of affected limbs
• visual impairment
• fatigue
• self-consciousness
• poor hand eye co-ordination

Suggestions

• flexibility of approach, e.g. head starts, development of underarm serving techniques
• development of skills in weak areas, e.g. hand-eye co-ordination, balance, weight-bearing
• encouragement to try new sports e.g. sailing, fencing, contact sports
• extra time for dressing / undressing