Adaptive Ski Curriculum

You may think that skiing as part of the classroom scene is limited to those prestigious college preparatory academies such as Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, but students with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities in upstate New York are also benefiting from a skiing-oriented curriculum.

Project STRIDE is a special curriculum that starts with "dryland" training in the fall and culminates in winter field trips that let students put their newfound knowledge to the test on real ski slopes. Geared toward youths ages 5 through 21 who qualify for special education services within a selected agency in the Capital District who are students in adaptive physical education classes. The program is now twenty years old! It is funded by grant money annually, but the most significant measure of its success is the fact that it has proven to help boost the confidence and self-esteem of its participant students.

It all started in 1986, as a research project, a skiing curriculum was created for disabled students to determine if self-esteem could be increased through the sport of skiing. In that first year of Project STRIDE, 11 children with various physical and developmental disabilities participated in the curriculum. To create a profile for each student, a standardized pre and post-assessment tool to measure behavior characteristics was used.

Once the pilot program was complete, measured results proved that self-image and self-esteem did indeed increase. In fact, all students involved showed significant gains in behavioral characteristics and other academics-related benchmarks. For instance, one student who had mental retardation and major visual and hearing deficiencies increased his balancing skills considerably, thus realizing a positive impact on his daily living activities. That research project continued to grow and more importantly was the impetus in founding STRIDE, Inc.
 

Before snow ever hits the ground, the students learn introductory terminology and basic preparative methodology. Indoor activities include putting on equipment, performing static and dynamic balance drills, watching snowsports-oriented videotapes, and undergoing ski fitness training. A wide range of service providers, such as speech therapists, occupational and physical therapists, teachers, and aides, take part in the program by motivating students with various activities and exercises related to the sport.

By January, when the bus arrives for the first of four field trips, the students are "ski ready" for individual instruction at a ski area. Adaptive instructors take over on the mountain.
 

Each student takes four field trips to the mountain. An annual grant pays for bus transportation, lift tickets, and trophies for every student who successfully completes the program. Often some of the students may choose to learn snowboarding instruction while most take traditional alpine adaptive instruction. Each field trip includes a 2.5 hour private lesson and lunch in the lodge.

The program invites studies from graduate students in the fields of occupational therapy or physical therapy to measure skills before and after the skiing experiences to gauge the motivational impact of the sport on various areas such as daily living, gross and fine motor or behavioral skills for students who typically have difficulty donning winter clothing on their own. Many students have completed their Master’s thesis work by closely studying the program and some of its components.

After two decades of offering skiing as an option within adaptive physical education curriculum, Project STRIDE continues to be a tremendously valuable experience for its participants. Many graduates display their trophies at home, and for a number of them, they are the only trophies they have ever received. Over the years, dozens have been given their own equipment and continue skiing.