It’s been almost two years since the implementation of Adaptive Physical Education to LT’s courses and this school year, the program is mixing in collaboration with the Learning Independence For Everyday (LIFE) students and general education students, adaptive PE course teacher Cassandra Niego said. 

The goal of the class is to have the LIFE students work on picking up on social skills and interactions with their peers. The general education students work on teaching, leading, and model for the LIFE students.

“This class teaches different life, communication, and problem-solving skills that can be used in a variety of situations,” general education student Gwendolyn Strickler ‘26 said. “You encounter so many people who have special needs, and it is important to gain a better understanding of how to support them.” In the course, general education students often plan and pick out the units they want to participate in, Niego said. This first semester, they started off with an introduction to yoga and just finished flag football. Right now, they are working on kickball, dance, wiffle ball, and will finish with bowling. General education students are learning how to actually teach, which tackles topics of how you plan it, how you instruct it, what to do when the LIFE student does something you didn’t expect, and how to modify lessons to get them engaged and challenge the students. 

 “I love how this class facilitates close friendships with the buddies,” Strickler said, “Because we are paired up with buddies and stay with them for the whole semester, each person gets to build a strong connection and figure out what motivates or excites them. No matter how difficult of a day I have, I walk in and am instantly surrounded by positive and uplifting people. It is so cool to be surrounded by a class full of your biggest cheerleaders who support and encourage each other.”

This course represents a significant step toward fostering inclusive environments and developing leaders who value diversity and accessibility,  LIFE teacher Grethen Jochum said. 

“Due to the development of the course, we’re seeing opportunities for my classes to integrate this co-taught structure in classes like culinary and the arts,” Niego said. “It’s been talked about for years, but now we are finally seeing it be put in place.” 

Since this is a relatively new course, the process of adding it to the student’s schedule looks different than adding other classes. 

When people start to become more aware that this class is offered, there will be an application process, in which approval will be needed to join, Niego said. Students will be looked at based on your previous PE teacher and or health teacher to determine if that student is a good fit.

“When considering the course, it’s best to approach with an open mind,” Jochum said. “The course will challenge you differently than other courses and make you think creatively about how to approach physical education. It comes with valuable life skills such as empathy, communication, and adaptability skills that can be useful in various life contexts, not just in physical education.”