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Description

Adaptive sports offer meaningful physical, social, and emotional benefits for adolescents with disabilities; however, many occupational therapy (OT) practitioners report limited training and resources to support these activities within practice. This capstone project aimed to address this gap by developing Sports for All, an educational guidebook designed to help OT practitioners promote engagement in adaptive sports among adolescents with disabilities. Guided by the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement and the PERMA well-being framework, the project emphasized the importance of person, environment, occupation, and positive psychological factors that support meaningful engagement in activities that promote overall well-being in adolescents with disabilities. Using a 15-week, four-phase process- collaboration, development, peer review, and dissemination- the project incorporated stakeholder partnerships, observations of local adaptive sports programs, and feedback from practitioners and community organizations. The guidebook provides a foundational background on adaptive sports, outlines the role of OT practitioners in incorporating adaptive sports into treatment planning, and offers practical tools including assessments, intervention planning resources, and preparatory activities for wheelchair basketball and adaptive kayaking. Additional components include interprofessional collaboration strategies, funding resources, and local community resources to support implementation. The intent of Sports for All is to bridge the gap of resources gap that often exists following OT academic preparation, equipping practitioners with accessible, evidence-informed materials to integrate adaptive sports into clinical and community-based practice.

Publication Date

Fall 2025

Publisher

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Keywords

Occupational therapy, Adaptive sports, Adolescents with disabilities, Wheelchair basketball, Adaptive kayaking, Intervention planning, Community stakeholders, Meaningful engagement, Well-being, Interprofessional collaboration

Medical Subject Headings

Occupational therapists, Adolescents with disabilites, Sports for persons with disabilities

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy

Comments

Poster presented at the OTD Capstone Symposium at the University of St Augustine for Health Sciences in Fall 2025.

A Guidebook for Occupational Therapy Practitioners to Promote Adaptive Sports

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