Understanding Disability Through "Buddying"

Purpose

This qualitative study explored the meaning of community walking experiences between physical education teacher education (PETE) students and adults with cognitive disabilities. Much of the current literature suggests that providing PETE students multiple teaching and interacting opportunities in structured, well supervised, and success-oriented physical activity sessions will lead to favorable behaviors toward diversity of youngsters with and without disabilities (Hodge, Tannehill & Kluge, 2003; Tripp & Sherrill, 1991).

Methods

Purposeful sampling guided the study (Patton, 1990). Great Bay Services is located in Newington, New Hampshire and serves 105 adults with developmental disabilities. Over the course of a ten-week period, 30 PETE students from the University of New Hampshire visited Great Bay Services to conduct a walking program with 40 adults for a 45 minute time period. Data collection involved student surveys, informal interviews and field notes. Students were asked to complete a short survey each time they completed a visit to Great Bay. Informal interviews were conducted with pre-service teachers on site or immediately following the walking experiences. Focus group interviews were conducted with small groups of students in each of the respective classes upon completion of the study. Field note observations as a participant-observer were conducted by the student researcher throughout the walking experiences (Merriam, 1998).

Analysis/Results

Thematic analysis was utilized which allowed the researcher to organize what is presented in the data (Connolly, 1994; Huberman & Miles, 1998). The researchers independently identified themes from the data through a systematic and objective process that required careful review, coding, comparing, contrasting, and categorizing themes from within the individual journal entries.

Three themes emerged from the study. Eliminating stereotypes, creating empathy for others and increased student investment in the program. Over time students came to know the adults from Great Bay more as walking companions than as “clients.” Increased contact did promote more positive feelings towards individuals with disabilities as students gained insight into the personal experiences and day-to-day circumstances of adults' living and working conditions. PETE students came to understand the functional ability of the adult rather than the “norm” of what might be expected of adults with cognitive disabilities.

Conclusions

As teaching professionals, it is important to structure experiences that will enable PETE teachers to challenge norms that might influence perceptions of disability. Engaging teachers in this manner can potentially lead to more effective practices within physical education and adapted physical education settings.