Sensory Disabilities in PE
Blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, deaf-blind
Teach through the senses the student can rely on.
Orient students to the gym, use sound, touch and visual signals, work with interpreters and interveners, and teach skills step by step, including students who are deaf-blind.
At a glance
What’s included
5
hours, self-paced
5
lessons with video and case study
5
printable tools for the gym
80%
quiz to pass each lesson
The problem
PE is built for students who can see and hear.
Demonstrations, whistles, shouted instructions and fast games. Without changes, students with sensory disabilities miss the instruction and often miss the activity.
01
Missed demonstrations
The model is visual only.
02
Missed signals
Whistles and calls that are not heard.
03
An unknown space
No orientation to the gym.
04
Isolation
Deaf-blind students left out of group play.
What you will learn
5 lessons, one for each way of learning
Each lesson has a short video, a deep dive, a real school case study and a quiz.
Who the students are
Visual impairment, deafness, hearing impairment and deaf-blindness under IDEA, and what each means in the gym.
Blind and low vision in PE
Orientation, contrast, sound and touch cues, guide running and adapted games like goalball.
Deaf and hard of hearing in PE
Visual start and stop signals, positioning, lighting and working with interpreters.
Deaf-blindness in PE
Touch and object cues, hand-under-hand guidance and the intervener’s role.
Teaching, data and progress
Prompting through the available senses, fading, and measuring independence.
What you take away
Tools you use the next day
Gym orientation checklist
For blind and low-vision students.
Visual signals card
For deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Touch- and object-cue plan
For deaf-blind students.
Prompting guide
For sensory disabilities.
Sample adapted lesson plan and data sheet
Ready for class.
Who it is for
For everyone on the vision and hearing team
General and adapted PE teachers
with students with sensory disabilities.
Teachers of the visually impaired and of the deaf
who support PE.
Interpreters and interveners
who work in the gym.
Paraprofessionals
who support students during PE.
Want the full picture?
Part of the Adapted PE & Behavior Professional Development Certificate
This short course comes from Module 8, “Visual, Hearing and Deaf-Blindness”, of the 68-hour certificate, which also covers all 14 US disability categories, behavior science in the gym, lesson design and adapted sport.
Questions
Good to know
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. You earn a BxM certificate of completion with 5 hours, to show your school, district or employer.
Does it count for continuing education?
The type of credit (for example BACB CEUs or teacher professional development hours) depends on the approvals BxM holds when the course opens. We will list it clearly before you enroll. Teacher PD hours are set by each state, so check your state’s rules.
Is it part of the full certificate?
Yes. It comes from Module 8 of the 68-hour Adapted Physical Education & Behavior Professional Development Certificate. If you continue to the full certificate later, you will not repeat these lessons.
Can my school or district buy seats for a team?
Yes. Seat packs of 5, 10, 25 or 50 are available for districts and schools, with lower prices per seat.
How do I enroll?
Reserve your spot below. We will email you the enrollment details and founding-member pricing.
Enrollment
Enroll or reserve your spot
Leave your details and we will send you the enrollment information and founding-member pricing.
Founding-member price
$49 Founding price · $69 after launch
One-time payment. Nothing is charged today: reserve now and pay when enrollment opens.