Athletics Adaptations
Athletics Adaptations
Athletics is completed in the majority of schools across the state and the nation. Traditionally athletics is a fantastic place to start teaching students fundamental and gross movement skills and is no different for students or athletes with vision impairment. Athletics can offer students incredible opportunities and pathways for local, state and national representation and is one of the disciplines available to athletes with vision impairment at the Paralympic Games.
Like all information on this website it is important to understand that these are just possible adaptations and for further information please contact your advisory teacher or Andrew Whisson (PE teacher at the SA School for Vision Impaired).
Classification information
To be able to compete in official multiclass athletics tournaments athletes must have a B1, B2, or B3 classification.
In South Australia it is possible to get a classification by booking time with the Royal Society for the Blind or Health2Go at Flinders University.
Below are the classifications set out by the International Blind Sports Association. The "B" classification is used across all sports, "T" classification relates to "track" events, such as running and jumping events, while the "F" classification relates to "field" events, such as the throwing events.
B1/T11/F11 Classification
Visual acuity poorer than LogMAR 2.60 which is equivalent to poorer than 6/600 (no functional vision for sport)
B2/T12/F12 Classification
Visual acuity ranging from LogMAR 1.50 to 2.60 (inclusive) or 6/160 to 6/600 (inclusive)
B3/T13/F13 Classification
Visual acuity ranging from LogMAR 1.0 to 1.40 (inclusive) or 6/60 to 6/160 (inclusive) OR visual fields less than 10 degrees diameter and visual acuity better than 0.5 or 6/19 (B4)
Instructional practice
One of the most common practices in PE is for teachers to demonstrate movements to the whole class with comments like "move your arms across like this" or "move your leg like this". While students without a vision impairment are able to follow these instructions it does act as a barrier for students with vision impairment to be involved in the lessons. Ensuring that the instructions are verbally explicit is vital for full involvement in physical education lessons. Often utilising the whole-part-whole pedagogy will allow the instructions and movements to be broken down individually for the students. The simple action of throwing a shot put can be explained explicitly as follows:
"Stand with your feet at a shoulder width apart while you hold the shot put in your preferred throwing hand with it resting just beneath the bottom (proximal) joint of the fingers rather than on the palm of your hand."
By explicitly explaining this set up students with vision impairment are able to follow each step. It is still useful to visually model the movement, for yourself and those students who are able to follow visually, but ensuring explicit explanation means that each lesson and movement is inclusive for all students.
There are times where it may be necessary to support a student or athlete with the physical movements required for the skill being taught. This hand over hand instruction can allow a teacher or coach to support a student to understand the gross or fine muscle movements required for a skill and can support students to move the skills into their muscle memory and support faster progression out of the cognitive stage of learning and support the progression into the associative or autonomous stages. While hand over hand support can be an effective pedagogical practice it is vital that before this is introduced that the teacher or coach has the permission of the student or athlete before touching the student. A simple "Do you mind if I show you the movement?" can be the difference between student refusal through embarrassment or frustration.
Running Events
When introducing running events it is important that students trust their environment, without this trust they cannot demonstrate their best effort, and instead we often see a change in gait and/or a reluctance to run at full speed. It is because of this that the students should first be given an opportunity to walk the space they are expected to run, discussing any undulations, surface changes and obstacles they may face.
Depending on the student or athlete's vision or confidence they may require a guide runner. A guide runner should be confident in running the distance at the speed of the student or athlete with vision impairment, this could be an adult or peer, but must be at the same level or higher than the student or athlete with vision impairment. The guide runner can support in two ways, they can either run along side of the student or athlete with a high contrast top or utilise a tether (seen below) and run along side their student.
Equipment
Depending on the student or athlete's vision impairment they may require a guide when running. While at official competitions only those students classified as a B1 (T11/F11) or B2 (T12/F12) are allowed to use a guide runner, in unfamiliar settings or on an uneven surface B3 (T13) or even B4 athletes may require a guide runner.
Traditionally a guide runner will use a tether, held by both athlete and guide to support the athlete with a vision impairment, to assist the athlete to either stay within their lane or complete the course. A tether (as seen in the photo below) may just be a ribbon, rope or chord tied into one loop or with two loops at either end. While the athlete is learning, it should be up to them to choose which they feel they prefer, while at high level competition the athletes are often given an official tether to use, this alleviates any advantage athletes could gain from using a different tether.
A basic tether being held by an athlete and a guide runner
Drop down lines, rubber markers or cones can be used to make sure the running course or track is clearly marked. Traditional lane markings on grass are not of high contrast and exaggerating the markings is important to ensure that students with low vision are able to see their lane or the course. For more complicated runs, like cross country, small cones may not be enough, and the use of high contrast larger witches hats may be important, or allow the athlete to run with a guide.
Drop down lines or rubber markers can act as a high contrast markings for simple races
High contrast cones can be used to mark lanes or key points in a race
Throwing Events
There are not significant changes required for throwing events, however, as students or athletes with vision impairment are learning the skills it may be important to give them an audible marker to "square off" towards before throwing. This could be an adult standing in the centre of the throwing zone, or alternatively the athlete may wish to hear the whole target area with a call from the outer edges from the adult and finally a call from the centre. Some athletes may be comfortable with an audible marker, such as a buzzer, in place of a caller. This reduces the need for an adult to be in the throwing zone prior to the throw.
The use of tactile lines and markers are essential to support the students to understand their position and the foul line. While official athletics centres and tournaments will have this in their shotput and discus circles, however, not all schools are lucky enough to have these. For those schools the use of tactile lines, rubber markers, drop lines or even carefully placed skipping ropes can all be used as a tactile line to mark the throw line or circle for the athletes.
Like previously discussed, the use of explicit instruction is vital to ensure that the student or athlete with a vision impairment is able to follow each step of the action.
Jumping Events
Jumping events can be quite daunting for athletes with vision impairment, being asked to produce a maximum effort and jump into a sandpit or over a pole and onto a mat with low or no functional vision can be a very uncomfortable experience. For the student or athlete to complete these skills, it is first important to build trust, trust in the teacher or coaches instructional practice, and trust in the environment and equipment being used. Prior to asking the student to progress to the jump, ensure they are given an opportunity to explore the sandpit or soft mats and bar so they are confident it is a safe space to jump into or onto. Similarly, when first introducing these events and techniques to the students, it is important to start slowly, allow the students to start with a one step run up, or by simply jumping onto the mat. It may be a slow progression to build this trust in the process and equipment, but it is possible to achieve incredible results should the students feel confident.
Squaring off towards a target is an important skill in all sports for students or athletes with vision impairment competing in jumping events. Being able to square off with chest and shoulder takes some time to perfect, but there are certain techniques that can support this skill. To square off with chest it is possible to straighten both arms in front of one’s body and bring the hands together in a clapping motion with fingers tips pointing in the correct direction. If this is completed correctly the individual will have their shoulders squared off towards the target. This will allow athletes or students to run and jump towards the targeted mat or sand pit with an increased accuracy.
When completing long jump or high jump a guide can support the athlete, as seen in the photo below, to square off while combining this an audible marker can also be vital to increase the accuracy.
Support working guiding an athlete to square off towards target
The use of an audible or acoustic marker to support the athlete to square off to the desired target can be vital for any athlete with vision impairment when first introducing these skills, especially for T11 and T12 athletes. Audible or acoustic markers are audible devices that we use to act as a beacon, orientation tool or positional indicator for students with vision impairment. An audible or acoustic marker could be as simple as a person talking, clapping or tapping an object and as technical as a speaker, buzzer or beeper.
In high jump it is possible to utilise a buzzer or beeper in a bag that can be attached to the high jump bar or rope. This allows the athlete or student to square off towards the bar and use the increase in volume as they approach the bar to almost use sonification to support their jump. It is important to work with the athlete to figure out what sound works for the athlete and the environment they are competing in.
Long jump can be adapted in a similar way. While high jump we utilise a constant volume from the audible marker and the distance from the bar to act as the change and cue, in long jump it is common to see a guide standing at the side of the pitch clapping. As the athlete approaches the long jump pit the clapping is sped up using sonification to give an audible description of the athlete's position in relation to the line. This can be culminated in one loud clap to indicate to jump on the final step.
Hands clapping can act as an audible marker.
Buzzers omit a great sound for a continuous audible marker
While introducing long jump to an athlete with vision impairment it is important for the athlete or student to feel a sense of achievement. Because of this we often start the process by measuring their jump from the take off point, not the line as is done with sighted athletes. This is then continued with the T11 and T12 athletes, where they are always measured from their take off point, as long as it is within a metre of the line.
How can all students be involved?
Athletics and swimming are quite unique in Australia amongst sports for athletes with vision impairments, there are rarely enough athletes with the same classification to fill a full field in each event. Because of this Athletics SA and Athletics Australia use a 'multiclass' system, where athletes compete against all classifiable athletes in their age group. Because of this Athletics Australia has created a 'Baseline' spreadsheet where athletes are compared against the current world record and given a percentage. This percentage can then be compared and the athletes can receive their placement compared to this percentage. This 'Baseline' sheet is available for free on Athletics Australia's website, and is a great place to start to look at the possible percentage of the world record for all students with vision impairment.