THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADAPTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT UNIVERSITIES IN TURKEY

    The Akdeniz University School of Physical Education and Sport was established in 1993. Since that time, the departments of Physical Education Teaching have had the right to establish their own training programs. ‘Physical Education and Sport for People with disability ’, which starts from the fifth (5.) semester and lasts until graduation, was added to the program as an optional course by taking the program of the Köln Sport School in Germany as a model. The program includes the following courses; Special Education, Structural Disorders and Treatment, Special Test Techniques, and Games and Sport for People with intellectual disability . In 1995, both theoretical and practical studies were launched with 10 students who had chosen this field. In this way, Akdeniz University school of Physical Education and Sport took its place among a limited number of schools which offer courses dealing with the needs of people with disability .

    As a result of a reconstruction of the courses offered by the Higher Education Institution’s Education Faculties, ‘Physical Education and Sport for People with Disability ’ became an obligatory course in all departments offering Physical Education Teaching from 1998. The attendance of all students on this course was thereby guaranteed. In our country, ‘Physical Education and Sport for People with disability ’ is provided as an optional/obligatory course in the sport management, choaching and recreation departments of many universities. Within the concept of this course, some field studies are included in the program for the students of the Department of Physical Education Teaching, including identifying the developmental features of children with disability , learning to communicate with them, preparing suitable physical programs, and applying them. Students make observations of one hour in duration during visits to the special education schools (the schools that hearing-disabled, visually-disabled and mentally-children with intellectual disability attend) once a week, and they provide for the physical education needs of children with disability through the application of two-hour exercise programs.

    As a result of the second reconstruction of the courses offered by the Higher Education Institution’s Education Faculties, “ Special Education” added on the side the course of “Physical Education and Sport for People with Disability’ as a obligatory course in all departments offering Physical Education Teaching since 2005.

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