Examination of Difference of Understanding Disabilities between Classes of Adapted Physical Activity and Simulation Exercise

Abstract

Those who attend only a few sessions of a simulation exercise tend to generalize and are thus misled about disabled individuals' experiences. Because such a superficial experience or understanding reinforces people's negative conceptions of disabled people, university classes about adapted physical activity must re-evaluate their student educational program to ensure that it provides students with an in-depth understanding of disabilities and encourages them to reconsider what it means to be disabled. The purpose of this study was to research notions of disabilities among three groups: class of adapted physical activity, simulation exercises, and control. The results of a two-way multivariate analysis of variance suggested the class of adapted physical activity had positive levels of "understanding of support for disabled people" and "image of disability" compared to students with or without the simulation exercise experience. Moreover, the class of adapted physical activity had a positive level of "rejection of disability" and "familiarity with disability" when compared with students who had no simulation exercise. These results suggest the usefulness of the adapted physical activity class.