History of inclusive physical education in the Middle East

Abstract

In this section, inclusive physical education is discussed in the context of the development of the services for students with disabilities and the role of adapted physical education (APE) in this context in two examples of Middle East countries: Turkey and Israel. In Turkey APE has increasingly become available as an academic discipline in Turkish universities, as well as in sports federations since the year 2000. However, in spite of the academic development APE has not yet become widespread in schools, in special education or in rehabilitation centres. This may lead to an underrepresentation of this service to students with disabilities in both special and inclusive environments. Since the early 2000s, a continuous and substantial improvement in the number and quality of participation opportunities in programmes within various aspects of physical activity frameworks can be observed in Israel. Unfortunately, despite these improvements in the field of APE, still the majority of stakeholders, such as physical education teachers, sport coaches and fitness instructors, have not yet fully captured the educational and socio-cultural opportunities encountered in this area of expertise.