BIG RAPIDS — One Big Rapids teacher was inspired by one of her students to begin incorporating activities accessible to differently-abled students in her classes.
Kaitlin Douglass, a middle school physical education teacher at Big Rapids Middle School, began looking for ways to introduce handicap-friendly activities and education into her classes after the parent of one of her students, who uses a wheelchair, reached out to her.
Chase Fuller, an 11-year-old from Big Rapids, has used a wheelchair since a spinal cord injury he sustained in a car accident in April 2019.
In the last year, Chase has developed a talent and passion for wheelchair basketball and wanted to know if there was an opportunity to incorporate wheelchair activities into his PE classes at school.
Douglass said she jumped on the idea after speaking with Fuller’s mother, Sarah, and quickly got to work investigating how to make it a reality.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, of course, let’s do it, let’s try it,’” Douglass said. “She (Sarah Fuller) really helped me push getting more wheelchairs, making it more of an adaptive, inclusive class. She got about eight other sports wheelchairs, I was able to get about three or four hospital chairs. They’re a little bit slower, but we have a ton of fun. I can put almost all my kids in a chair.”
The class has also tried a few different activities including wheelchair pickleball, wheelchair/sitting volleyball and wheelchair football.
According to Douglass, wheelchair volleyball and basketball have been the most popular sports the class has tried on wheels.
Fuller has lent a helping hand in teaching, and especially with helping other students learn, during the basketball section of the class as he had a lot of practice in his own chair.
“It’s kind of helped me map out the class a little bit,” Douglass said. “We’re on softball right now. I am coming up with other ideas for the next couple of weeks for what our next students will be doing. I have a ton of support for it, which makes it really easy and really fun. The kids actually really get into it. Some kids were kind of hesitant, but it’s all about their mindset. If you change that mindset about it, they can have fun and make it competitive.”
According to Douglass, the majority of her students have enjoyed the challenge of trying new sports in a wheelchair which has inspired her to continue finding new avenues for accessibility in the curriculum.
She said she can see how bringing in the wheelchair aspect has taught some of her students humility and respect for those who require the use of a wheelchair day in and day out.
“I was so pumped, looking up the rules and Paralympic stuff,” Douglass said. “I’ve spent many, many evenings from the time I get home, make dinner until I go to bed just coming up with stuff because I want this class to be so successful.
“It sometimes hard for the kids to buy into it, and the other kids have definitely learned what they say and how they say things can be offensive. They have totally changed their attitudes, and they really buy into it. They’re all super supportive of Chase, who’s actually using the wheelchair all of the time. He’s (Fuller) actually helped me teach a lot of these things.”
‘IMPACTING STUDENTS’
Jennifer Prince, a BRPS communications and marketing coordinator, said she was also inspired by the determination she saw Fuller display.
“With the help of so many health care professionals and a very determined family, Chase began exploring adaptive sports,” Prince said. “He participated in a Wheelchair Sports Camp and played handball, tennis and sled hockey, amongst others. He was invited to join an adaptive basketball team and gained confidence, friendships and skills, and he loves the experience. He still plays and has really acquired a passion for basketball.
“At first glance, it’s about a teacher going above and beyond but when you dig deeper it’s really about a teacher who is impacting the perspective of a group of students and the way they will carry on in the world,” she said. “It’s especially heartwarming to me as I worked as a caregiver for many years and took care of a young man, another former BRPS student, who was in an accident resulting in his mobility being limited to a wheelchair. It was always important to me that people treated him with dignity despite his limitations.”
For the able-bodied students in the class, trying different variations of sports has shown them where their weaknesses are and how they can turn that into a strength, according to Douglass.
Doing a popular sport like basketball or volleyball in a wheelchair forces more effort on different muscles and can present new physical challenges for the students to conquer, she said.
“Never in a million years did I think that I was going to end up being a teacher teaching an adaptive class,” Douglass said. “I feel like I’m finally home. I feel like I’m finally doing what I’m supposed to, and this class has made me even more excited about teaching PE. To think maybe we could actually get wheelchairs that we can keep for the school and then maybe having just an adaptive PE class will be awesome for kids who love taking PE and want another challenge.”
Douglass is hopeful the class will grow and will open up opportunities for expansion and purchasing more equipment for different adaptive sports.
She said some goals she has are to do more research on adaptive sports and find ways to incorporate additional disability-friendly physical education lessons into her curriculum for students.
Douglass said her greatest goal as a teacher is to ensure every student feels included and has opportunities in every class she teaches.
“I think it’s super important for all schools to do it because you can almost ask anyone and they know somebody that is in a wheelchair or has a disability,” Douglass said. “Now that I’ve taught it and I was presented with the opportunity, I would definitely push or help other schools or teachers to be able to do the same. To not be afraid to teach it because teaching something that you’ve never taught before can be scary but if you take it with the right mindset, and really put everything you got into it, like this class has turned out really great.”
