Description
Adapted Physical Activity (APA) is an academic discipline still under development in European countries. APA is aimed at improving the quality of life and the independence of individuals with special needs. The project aims to contribute to the social inclusion of wheelchair users in Poland and Iceland by providing training for professionals who will be responsible for it in the areas of physical activities. The outcomes of the project are: trained students of physiotherapy and PE, mobility, adaptation of Polish and Icelandic versions of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for wheelchair users, conference, book of abstracts, translation of Wheelchair Skills Test (WST) Manual into Polish and Icelandic, and CD-Rom with project results. These outcomes will be achieved through workshops/mobility for students, study visits for teachers and conference. Experts of adapted physical activity from the Faculty of Sport, Leisure Studies and Social Education will provide evidence-based expertise on aquatherapy, swimming for wheelchair users with special needs, and physical activity assessment of individuals in wheelchairs.
Summary of project results
Adapted physical activity (APA) is an academic discipline still under the development in the European countries. APA is aiming towards the improvement in quality of life and independence of individuals with special needs. The number of wheelchair users is high and increasing. Many wheelchair users suffer from acute or chronic injuries/diseases due to wheelchair use, which further restricts their participation and inclusion in society. It has been shown that sport and physical activity in general can lead to the empowerment and support of those with acquired and congenital disability. The quality and availability of educational programs in APA differs in European countries. The project aimed to contribute to social inclusion of wheelchair users in Poland and Iceland by providing training for professionals who will be responsible for it in the various areas of physical activity. The majority of electronic versions of project results (in Polish, English and Icelandic), including a long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for wheelchairs users (IPAQ-WU); translation of the Wheelchair Skills Test Manual into Polish and Book of Abstracts from the conference/ will be available through the project website which was transferred to the AWF Warsaw servers. Project CD-ROM will be delivered by Polish Scientific Association of Adapted Physical Activity. It is planned to continue examination of IPAQ-WU reliability and validity in the framework of the doctoral dissertation. A Wheelchair Skills Test translation into PL will be introduced as references to the syllabus of course of adapted physical activity in the program of physiotherapy study at the second degree study at the Faculty of Rehabilitation, AWF Warsaw. It is also planned to conduct a Polish study on wheelchair maneuverability of individuals with spinal cord injury using the Wheelchair Skills Test. Project website:
http://apafss.eu/
Summary of bilateral results
The project was mainly meant to increase the social inclusion of wheelchair users in Poland and Iceland by educating future physiotherapists and PE teachers. To achieve this objective, three workshops were organised for 42 students from Poland and Iceland to acquaint them with the theoretical and practical principles of adapted physical activity for those with special needs. Other project outcomes included a project conference entitled Adapted physical activity in rehabilitation and education and project website visited by almost 9,000 users. The preparation (adaptation and translation) of tools assessing wheelchair users’ physical activity (among other things the international Physical Activity Questionnaire for Wheelchair Users – IPAQ – WU) was an important outcome of the project. “Adapted physical activity is an academic discipline developing in Europe and aimed at the improvement of the life quality and independence of people with special needs”, says Natalia Morgulec-Adamowicz, PhD, project coordinator. “The number of wheelchair users belonging to the group of people with special needs is high and constantly growing. Due to their specific muscle and joints strains, lots of wheelchair users experience acute and chronic injuries or conditions limiting their employment opportunities and participation in social life. Physical activity and sport are an effective form of support for people with congenital and acquired disabilities.” The most important outcomes and impact: (1) establishment of real and prospective cooperation with the University of Iceland; (2) enabling the Faculty of Rehabilitation at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw a better implementation of its mission statement – a practical combination of education, science and research dissemination; (3) students and academic as well as administrative staff had an opportunity to work as partners within a team – everyone was surprised at how integrated activities improved the effectiveness and atmosphere of task implementation; (4) students of Physiotherapy and Physical Education participated in training owing to which they acquired knowledge and skills allowing them to involve disabled people in different areas of physical activity; (5) adaptation of the extended Polish, English and Icelandic versions of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to the requirements of research into wheelchair users’ needs (IPAQ – WU).