1982-83 Senate Document #52 APC Document #40 PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S REQUEST FOR COURSE The Physical Education Department introduced a new course this year (1982-83) under the Special Topics designation. The course title was Racquetball. We, therefore, request that this course be included in the Physical Education curriculum and should be listed on Page 140 of Catalog (1982-83 catalog). A. Description of proposed new course PE 113 RACQUETBALL - course will include instruction in history of the sport, and development of playing skills. The course will be taught by the departmental staff at the Asheville Circuit Courts on Tunnel Road. There will be a special student fee charged. At the present time, this fee is $12.00 per student for fifteen hours of court use. B. History of course as presently offered 1. The course has proven to be extremely popular with the student body. 2. The two (2) sections of the course were the first sections to close in Physical Education during pre-registration in November of 1982 (for Spring Semester 1983). C. Rationale for the course 1. Student demand is present. 2. Introduce our students to a vastly popular sport in which they can participate in throughout their entire life. 3. The extra fee charge to the students is paid directly to the Asheville Circuit Courts. The ACC usually charges $3.50 per hour. (An actual saving to the students of $40.50 for the total 15 hours of student use.) 4. Adds a needed racquet type sport to the curriculum D. Explanation of request departmental course number Our two racquet type sports, Badminton and Tennis, are numbered PE 110 and PE 115 respectively. We feel that this sport comes someplace between Badminton and Tennis in difficulty, amount of physical fitness inherent in the activities, and popularity. Page 2 COURSE PROPOSAL The Physical Education Department requests that the Academic Policy Committee approve two new courses, PE 128 - Weight Training for the Handicapped and PE 129 - Aerobic Conditioning for the Handicapped as a standard part of the Physical Education Curriculum. COURSE DESCRIPTIONS: PE 128 - Weight Training for the Handicapped (1) Prerequisite: permission of instructor. The purpose of the course is to assist the handicapped student in working toward his/her strength/fitness potential and fusing the mind-body dichotomy many times reinforced by the presence of a physical handicap. The content of the course includes didactic lectures aimed at total fitness concepts, weight training and group counseling/lab experiences. Students will be exposed to information related to safe and proper use of weights and weight training equipment. The actual weight training process will include exercises tailored to each student's particular disability. Group labs will include discussions relative to total fitness, the mind-body dichotomy, self-esteem, body image and the role of physical conditioning and its contribution to the total health of the disabled student. PE 129 - Aerobic Conditioning for the Handicapped (1) Prerequisite: permission of instructor. The purpose of this course is to assist the handicapped student in working toward his/her cardiovascular fitness and endurance. In addition, the course focus will be to continue building on student successes experienced in PE 128. Course content will include didactic lectures aimed at the importance of cardiovascular fitness in bridging the mind-body dichotomy. Concepts and research relative to aerobic conditioning and its benefits will be discussed. The aerobic conditioning portion of the course will involve 20-30 minutes of non-stop exercise for each student, ie. circling the track in a manual wheelchair, circuit training with weights and others depending on the scope of the student's disability. The students will meet once a week in labs to discuss progress and establish new goals. Page 3 A TOTAL FITNESS APPROACH FOR THE DISABLED AT UNC-ASHEVILLE Alan Keith Ray Acting Director for Counseling and Career Development the University of North Carolina at Asheville Eric V. Iovacchini Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs The University of North Carolina at Asheville Page 4 INTRODUCTION In the past, "total fitness" or "total health" was viewed by many as being physically fit and free from disease. The World Health Organization defines health or fitness as not merely the absence of disease or informity, but a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. (Sigerist, 1964) More recently professionals in fields including medicine, psychology, religion and athletics have discovered the strong interdependence between mind, body and spirit. This all-inclusive relationship dictates the development of an awareness essential for various types of health care professionals and those interested in the development of human potential. The problem exists in that, for most of us a distinct dichotomy exists between mind, body and spirit, a wide gap which creates a barrier in realizing our various life potentials. Most professionals who observe and study the development of human potential agree that most individuals only live to realize about five percent of their true potential. If this is true, perhaps a program aimed at strengthening and bridging the gap between mind, body and spirit would spark an individuals move toward total well-being. The barriers to developing higher levels of human potential and health seem even more apparent in those who are physically disabled. Without the use of their arms, legs, vision or hearing, many disabled students concentrate most of their time and energy on basic survival needs and skills. While these are essential, higher level needs and skills are many times neglected and the disabled student becomes predisposed to feelings of alienation, dependence, low self-esteem, little positive motivation and lower expectations of a productive and fulfilling life. Furthermore, many times these students totally neglect their body and the dichotomy expands, making it even more difficult to bridge the gap. Page 5 THE WEIGHT TRAINING COMPONENT In 1981, an innovative program was developed through the Center for Counseling and Career Development at The University of North Carolina at Asheville aimed at enhancing the total fitness of disabled students. Two physical education courses are now being taught by student affairs staff (PE 171 - Basic Weight Training for the Handicapped and PE 271 - Intermediate Weight Training and Physical Conditioning for the Handicapped) which address the special needs of these students. The courses are taught on campus, using the facilities of the Center for Counseling and Career Developent for group counseling experiences, and at an off-campus multipurpose physical exercise center made available to the university by a member of the community specifically for this course. The purpose of the program is to assist disabled students in working toward their strength/fitness potential and fusing the mind-body dichotomy that has been reinforced by the presence of a physical handicap. This component includes didactic lectures, weight training, flexibility training, stretching and aerobic conditioning. As a part of the program students are exposed to information related to safe and proper use of weights and weight training equipment. Stretching is emphasized before and after workouts to insure flexibility and lessen the chance of injury. An exercise program is designed specifically to meet the needs and physical potential of each student. Students learn the basic principles of muscular and aerobic conditioning and how they relate to the development of total health and human potential. Once the students are familiar with the basics of weight training, a workout program is tailored to each students particular handicap. As a part of this process, brainstorming techniques are utilized to develop ways of making conventional exercise equipment usable. One section of each course has been taught each semester since the programs conceptions. Each class meets three times per week, twice in the gymnasium and once as a group for discussion and counseling. As the semester progresses most of the students experience a marked increase in strength. Strength is measured by establishing a baseline of maximum strength based on each student properly executing one repetition with maximum poundage. These measures are taken again at mid-semester and at the end. Even though (approximately three per class) the classes are still small and not ideal for calculating significance, each student who has participated in one or both of the courses claim that they are stronger and are moving around with more ease. One student recently commented, "this is the first time I have ever been able to put my wheelchair in the back seat of the car by myself, and, if I can do that, there are probably lots of things I can do." Page 6 THE GROUP COUNSELING COMPONENT Each class meets one hour per week for group counseling and discussion. These sessions revolve around discussions of the mind-body dichotomy, self-esteem, body image, other high level needs and the role of physical conditioning and weight training in the total health of the disabled student. In addition, the group counseling sessions are utilized to foster and expand what is being experienced in the gymnasium. Various counseling techniques are employed to guide the students and assist them in the ongoing development of their unique potentials. Guided imagery, goal setting and Reality Therapy play a major role in helping the disabled student to begin believing there is something within them yet to be discovered, and by taking realistic steps the mystery of their life/career potentials will begin to unfold. As with the development of many programs, adequate instruments have not been developed or utilized to measure all of the variables associated with a total fitness approach to living. Perhaps, further research could seek to isolate and measure variables such as self-esteem, motivation, career/life decision-making and cardiovascular endurance. Those disabled students who participated in the courses have evaluated the progam by written comments of their increased strength, enhanced physical fitness and positive attitude about life. In addition, they are claiming an increase in their ability to deal with disappointment, depression, and frustration. Several of the students have commented that they are experiencing positive feelings about life and their purpose in it for the first time. In addition these individuals are beginning to gain a reputation on campus as the "able-disabled." CONCLUSION As a part of its general education requirements for graduation, the university requires four units of physical education for all students. Like most institutions, the university affords handicapped students who are either visually, hearing or mobility impaired the option to waive all or part of this physical education requirement. The designers of the program recognized that even though the general attitude among the faculty and administration at UNC-A was to accommodate the handicapped students by releasing them from the physical education requirement, the student affairs staff wanted to provide an alternative for disabled students to the traditional physical education program available to all students. The program was also an excellent opportunity to enhance the growing relationship between the Student Affairs and Academic Page 7 Affairs Divisions of the institution. The institution is committed through its mission to join efforts and ventures involving student affairs staff and faculty in a number of areas, particularly those related to development of the physical and emotional health of its students. In conclusion, the success of the total program is still at a subjective level, yet extremely promising. The future of the program will depend largely on further research, continued support of the administration and minimal funds earmarked to support and expand existing services. An additional course is planned in the near future which will focus on track and field events. These courses may well serve as a stepping stone for those students interested in participating in regional and national olympic games for the disabled. REFERENCES Sigerist, H.E., A History of Medicine, N.Y., Oxford University Press, Vol. 2, 1964.