Physical education for students with spina bifida : mothers' perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of mothers’ perspectives of their children’s experiences in inclusive physical education. It describes the value mothers placed on physical education, the meaning they ascribed to their children’s physical education experiences, the role of the Personal Program Plan (PPP) in mother’s communication with the school, and the other means of communication they used to share their thoughts about children’s participation. The stories of mothers of elementary (1 boy, 3 girls) and secondary (2 boys, 1 girl) aged children with spina bifida were collected and analyzed using the hermeneutic phenomenological methods of semi-structured interviews, artifacts, documents, and field notes. The thematic analysis revealed three themes: A Good Thing But…, Connection to Disability Sports, and Beyond the Curriculum. Peters’ (1996) model of disablement provided the conceptual framework for the interpretation of the findings.