Inclusive adventure education and outdoor activities I

Inclusive adventure education and outdoor activities I

> Putting theory into practice <

On the 17th, 18th and 24th of April 2023. The experts Tomás Aylward and Erwin Borremans will visit Iceland and hold several lectures and workshops on inclusive outdoor activities.

This is a joint project of the Faculty of Education of the University of Iceland - The Center for outdoor recreation and outdoor learning and the Association of Outdoor Learning Enthusiasts.

The first day of the lecture series will take place on Monday, April 17 in the School of Education in Stakkahlíð // Room H-202

Please register here

Program:

14.00 - 14.30 Lecture: Making the Outdoors accessible: a ‘state of mind’ and not just a mountain of specialist equipment

In this presentation, outdoor recreation and adventure education will be explored from the perspective of a practitioner seeking to make their practice more inclusive for persons with a disability. While the focus of much inclusive Outdoor Recreation practice lies in the use of specialised or adapted equipment (Crosbie, 2015), the focus of this presentation will be on having an adaptive mindset and the 'Availablity Model' (Aylward, 2020). Approaches to accessible and adapted adventure education will focus on the abilities of persons with a disability rather than on their disabilities. Finally, adaptations to pedagogy and programming which can be adopted will be discussed in relation to the Inclusion Spectrum Model (Black and Stephenson, 2011) and the TREE model. 

14.45-15.30 Workshop: Adapted adventure for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID)

In this workshop, Tomás and Erwin will showcase some simple adaptations to pedagogical techniques to facilitate the engagements of persons with ID in adventure education and outdoor physical activities. Tomás and Erwin will share their common philosophy for working with persons with ID as well as showcasing their ‘Toolkit’ of simple activities and adaptations to conventional outdoor adventure sessions. The emphasis is on building on peoples Abilities rather than focusing on their Disabilities. The teaching approach is centred on building agency and autonomy in the student groups as well as utilising the novelty and uncertainty of outdoor activities to pique the learners’ interest; helping them to develop simple skills and new competence.

About the lecturers:

Tomás Aylward - MSc and PhD student

Tomás Aylward is MSc and PhD student is a lecturer in the School of Health and Social Sciences at Munster Technological University on the Atlantic coast of Ireland. A lecturer in outdoor learning and Adapted Physical Activity at the Kerry Campus for 22 years, Tomás' work and research has been focused on developing specialised training programmes for those who lead adventure and outdoor activities for people with disabilities. He is the programme director for a BA in Outdoor Learning at MTU.  Contact:  tomas.aylward@mtu.ie

Erwin Borremans, PhD

Erwin Borremans is a lecturer in adapted physical education and APE director for the LIVE Vocational College’s 10 campuses spread across southern Finland. Erwin’s work includes integrating outdoor education and outdoor physical activity into special education programmes. Erwin is a qualified physiotherapist with a master's degree in APA and a PhD in Adapted Physical Education. Erwin has been published in a number of academic journals in the discipline of APA and APE and was involved in organising the ISAPA world conference on APA in Finland in 2021. He also lectures at two Universities of applied sciences in Vierumäki and Espoo.   Contact: erwin.borremans@inlive.fi