Language and Definitions

Helping your organization use consistent language and definitions around the needs of children and youth with disabilities.

Image: Parents and their child with Down Syndrome are on the family laptop. They sit together on their living room couch.

Disability-Related Terminology

Inclusive Physical Activity

Refers to sport, play, exercise, or physical activity programs, that provide the same opportunity for children and youths with and without disabilities to participate in the same activity.

Aspects of Inclusive Physical Activity Programs

Supporting children and youth with disabilities to have the same roles and experiences in the physical activity program as their peers who do not have a disability.
The participation of children and youth with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities, as equals.
All children and youth, regardless of ability are seen as essential and valuable, and to be included in the program.
An individual’s ability does not interfere with the access to program or quality of experience in the program.

Examples of Inclusive Physical Activity Programs

All-abilities learn-to-swim program: designed for children and youth with and without disabilities.
Goalball: children and youth with and without sight loss can play together and have the same experience. In goalball, everyone is required to wear eye shades.
Abilities Centre Mixed Ability Sport:
- The Abilities Centre Mixed Ability Sport model focuses on creating a safe, supportive and welcoming space for all individuals in the community, respecting and valuing diverse backgrounds and intersecting identities.
- Visit Abilities Centre Mixed Ability Sport to find out more about their inclusive sport model!

More Information about Inclusive Physical Activity

Children’s Treatment Network. (2023). Inclusive vs. adaptive recreation.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Inclusive school physical education and physical activity.
Disability Sport. (2014). Adaptive vs inclusive sports.
Activity Alliance. (2023). Inclusive PE activity cards.

Adapted Physical Activity

Refers to sport, play, exercise or physical activity programs that have been adapted or modified to allow for full participation by children and youth with particular disabilities.

Aspects of Adapted Physical Activity Programs

Modifications to the original program design to meet the needs of children and youths with disabilities.
- E.g. using different equipment (prosthesis, wheelchairs, ball size).
- E.g. modifying skill criteria or using different skills.
- E.g. varying the physical environment (modifying playing field dimensions).
- E.g. changing the rules of play (double bounce in wheelchair basketball).
Training to ensure volunteers and staff are aware and attentive to the needs, abilities and interests of participants children and youth with disabilities.
- E.g. altering the way you give instructions (non-verbal instructions, personal supports).

Examples of Adapted Physical Activity Programs

Wheelchair rugby.
Powerchair boccia.
Canadian Paralympic Committee Para Ice Hockey.
- Para Ice Hockey is the Paralympic sport version of ice hockey. It is fast-paced, highly physical and played by athletes with a physical impairment in the lower part of the body.
- Visit Canadian Paralympic Committee Para Ice Hockey to find out more about Para Ice Hockey!

More Information about Adapted Physical Activity

International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (n.d.) Definition of adapted physical activity.
Disability Sport. (2014). Adaptive vs inclusive sports.
Handicap International (2013). Sport and play for all (PDF).

Accessible Physical Activity

Refers to information, products, services, and spaces that have the flexibility to accommodate the needs and preferences of each child and youth regarding physical activity.

Aspects of Accessible Physical Activity Programs

Information about the program provided in a variety of formats (e.g., text, images, and audio).
Volunteers and staff are trained to accommodate children and youth with disabilities (e.g., adapt equipment and activities).
The facilities can be safely and easily accessed (e.g., well-lit and free of obstructions for children and youth with visual impairments; elevators for those using a mobility device).
Specialized (e.g., sport chairs, beeper balls) or adaptable (e.g., Velcro grips for dumbbells, adjustable nets) forms of equipment are available.

Examples of Accessible Physical Activity Programs

S.M.I.L.E.
- The Acadia S.M.I.L.E. (Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience) Program is an accessible exercise program that provides persons with varying disabilities a unique physical activity experience.
- Visit smile.acadiau.ca to find out more about S.M.I.L.E.!

More Information about Accessible Physical Activity

Canadian Disability Participation Project. (2021). Accessibility, inclusion, and quality participation.
United Nations. (2019). Disability inclusion strategy (PDF).

Integrated Physical Activity

Refers to sport, play, exercise or physical activity settings where children and youth are brought into a program that has been designed for those without disabilities. There may be extra support for children and youth with disabilities.

In integrated settings, the activity was designed for children and youth without disabilities, unlike inclusive physical activity programs that are designed to provide the same opportunity for children and youth with and without disabilities to participate.

Physical Activity Terminology

Physical Activity

Refers to any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure and increases heart rate and breathing.

More Information about Physical Activity

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (2021). Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines: Glossary of terms.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Youth (5-17 Years Old)

Physical activity guidelines generally recommend that children and youth get a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity per day. This can include a variety of intensities and activities.

The WHO Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines

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Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), these guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and youth with disabilities. These guidelines were developed based on the best available evidence regarding physical activity for people with disabilities.

Visit The WHO Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Teens Living with a Disability for these guidelines!
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines

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Developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), these are a set of evidence-based guidelines for a healthy and active 24 hour day. These guidelines were not developed specifically for children and youth with disabilities.

Visit CSEPguidelines.ca/guidelines/children-youth.
The Ability Toolkit

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The Ability Toolkit provides information relevant to adapting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines to the unique abilities and needs of children and youth with disabilities.

If you would like to know more about The Ability Toolkit, visit cdpp.ca/resources-and-publications/ability-toolkit or download the PDF.

Types of Physical Activity

Incidental Physical Activity

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Refers to activity that occurs spontaneously, sporadically, is often unplanned or unscheduled, and involve self-directed games, play and other activities without external structures such as coaches or time clocks. Examples:

Moving around school or classroom.
Helping with meal preparation.
Cleaning up toys.
Shopping with family members.

Unstructured Physical Activity

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Refers to activity that is accumulated by carrying out activities of daily living. It is often considered a form of light physical activity. Examples:

Playing ball with the dog.
Soccer game with friends.
Recreational swimming.
Family hike.
Walking or wheeling to school.
Building a fort.
Playing catch or tag.

Structured Physical Activity

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Refers to activity that occurs in a planned, deliberate, and repetitive context. Examples:

School physical education class.
Organized lessons such as dance, swimming, karate.
Competitive or organized recreational sport such as soccer, goalball, hockey, gymnastics.

Physical Activity Intensities

How much effort goes into doing the activity? Types of Movement. Different movements fall under different categories depending on how hard your child or youth has to work to do the activity. Everybody is different, so the same activity might fall in different categories for different children or youth.

Light Physical Activity

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Requires a small amount of effort and does not usually make your child or youth feel out of breath. A child or youth does not need to move the lower half of their body to perform these activities. Movement of any body part(s) can count as light physical activity. Examples of light physical activity:

Cleaning up toys.
Playing with pets.
Slow walking or wheeling.
Stretching.
Bocce.

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

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Requires physical effort, and makes your child or teen feel more tired and breathe harder than usual. A child or youth may or may not physically sweat while doing these activities. Example moderate to vigorous activities:

Brisk walking or wheeling to school.
Dancing.
Swimming.
Games in physical education class.
Recreational sports.

Overall Evidence Base References

Bailey, R., & Sweeney, R. (2022). Principles and strategies of inclusive physical activity: a European Delphi study. Journal of Public Health, 1–8.

Bassett-Gunter, R. L., Ruscitti, R. J., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., & Fraser-Thomas, J. L. (2017). Targeted physical activity messages for parents of children with disabilities: A qualitative investigation of parents’ informational needs and preferences. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 64, 37–46.

Dozier, S. G. H., Schroeder, K., Lee, J., Fulkerson, J. A., & Kubik, M. Y. (2020). The association between parents and children meeting physical activity guidelines. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 52, 70–75.

Faulkner, G., White, L., Riazi, N., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., & Tremblay, M. S. (2016). Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: Exploring the perceptions of stakeholders regarding their acceptability, barriers to uptake, and dissemination. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(6), S303-S310.

Jaarsma, E. A., Haslett, D., & Smith, B. (2019). Improving communication of information about physical activity opportunities for people with disabilities. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 36(2), 185-201.

Jetha, A., Faulkner, G., Gorczynski, P., Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K., & Martin Ginis, K. A. (2011). Physical activity and individuals with spinal cord injury: Accuracy and quality of information on the Internet. Disability and Health Journal, 4(2), 112–120.

Longmuir, P. E. (2003). Creating inclusive physical activity opportunities: An abilities-based approach. In R. D. Steadward, G. D. Wheeler, & E. J. Watkinson (Eds.), Adapted Physical Activity (pp. 255-284). University of Alberta Press.

Natkunam, T., Tristani, L., Peers, D., Fraser‐Thomas, J., Latimer‐Cheung, A. E., & Bassett‐Gunter, R. (2020). Using a think‐aloud methodology to understand online physical activity information search experiences and preferences of parents of children and youth with disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(6), 1478-1488.