Creating quality sports programs for kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can benefit physically and psychosocially when they take part in sport (Baran et al., 2009, 2013; Weiss & Bebko, 2008). Unfortunately, their needs are often neglected, which leads to various physical, social, communication and policy barriers to their involvement (Shields & Synnot, 2016). These obstacles may affect how … Read more

Three recommendations for sport organizations when engaging in evaluation

The sport sector considers evaluation an essential organizational practice. Through evaluation, sport organizations can gain insights and solicit feedback about their programs. Evaluation can also inform decision-making, guide program improvements, and build stakeholders’ value and advocacy for programming (Holt et al., 2016; Shaikh et al., 2020). Despite its value, evaluation also challenges many sport decision-makers, … Read more

The True Sport Experience: Bringing physical and ethical literacy to life in and out of the classroom

Physical and health education teachers and coaches are experts at helping kids learn new skills. By patiently walking students through each learning step, they build the blocks of learners’ physical literacy. However, sport and recreation experiences aren’t built on physical skills alone. Instead, the experiences are wrapped in life lessons, personal growth and a few … Read more

Project Echo: A movement to make Para sport a better place for all

The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequalities that many people experience, particularly the disparities experienced by persons with disabilities. According to the COVID-19 Disability SurveyOpens in a new window, over 50% of respondents noted that during the pandemic their needs weren’t being met in a number of areas related to accessibility (Abilities Centre & The Canadian Disability Participation … Read more

Building a culture of excellence in high performance sport

Highlights An organization’s culture involves the values, attitudes and goals that are shared by a group of people. These values, attitudes and goals influence how the group interacts and operates as its members work toward a common goal. Within and beyond sport, culture helps to determine a team’s focus, establishes norms of acceptable behaviour and … Read more