“You have to take a nice deep breath in and release it when you throw the ball,” Adapted P.E. teacher Selena Hendrix-Smith said encouragingly as she coached junior David Bell to make the perfect shot. Hendrix-Smith wasn’t coaching a player on the varsity basketball team on free throws. She was assisting Bell, who is in a wheelchair, to gently throw a basketball into an empty Rubbermaid trash can two feet away.

Bell is one of six students in Hendrix-Smith’s Adapted P.E. class. Because the students in the class have limited ranges of motion and have tight muscles as a result of their disabilities, the focus of the class is on movement, not skill acquisition.

“If they don’t move, their muscles get more stiff and it’s going to be harder on their body,” Hendrix-Smith explained. “It’s for their overall health—making them feel better. They enjoy moving, having fun just like everyone else.”

Students in the Adapted P.E. class complete various units in the year, just like in a general P.E. class. So far this year the class has done swimming, soccer, Fitness Center and scooter units. Hendrix-Smith has plans for Frisbee and Bacchi Ball in the spring.

To qualify for the Adapted P.E. class, students must have an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, which is written for students who meet state and federal requirements for special education. Students in the class have a range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, visual impairments and autism. Some are nonverbal or deaf.

There used to be Adapted P.E. programs at other Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) schools, PAUSD Director of Student Services Carol Zepecki, who oversees special education, said. But when federal law changed in the mid-1990s, fewer students were placed in the program, and now Gunn is the only school in the district with an Adapted P.E. program.

Students with IEPs have the choice of general, modified, specially designed physical education, or Adapted P.E.,depending on their needs. “The law governing the IEP mandates that every opportunity is provided to students in the regular education program,” Zepecki said. “The IEP teams have to consider other methods of delivering physical education, and if they feel that because of that child’s particular needs, they need APE [Adapted P.E.], then they make that recommendation.”

Hendrix-Smith said she tries to see past the students’ disabilities. “When I look at student, I look at them as a whole person,” she said. “I don’t look at them and say this person has this and this person has that. They’re a person first to me and whatever need they have comes second.”

“The important thing is treating them with the dignity and respect that any other student on this campus deserves,” Hendrix-Smith added.

Hendrix-Smith sets movement goals for each student based on her yearly assessment of their cardio abilities, upper and lower body strength, posture, and flexibility. During each unit, she tries to touch on at least one of the goals of each student.

One student who has cerebral palsy is working on stretching his arms up toward his head. Others with visual impairment are working on focusing their eyes on the ball and identifying colors. “You do everything in a gradual process,” Hendrix-Smith said.

While the students often have a limited range of motion, Hendrix-Smith said she sees improvement throughout the year. During the hockey unit, Bell learned how to place his hockey stick in his lap so that it didn’t fall off when he wheeled himself over to the puck. “Things like that are big,” she said. “You do see progress.”

Hendrix-Smith has the help of five aides who assist students during the class. The aides provide constant encouragement to the students and participate in the class actively, often serving as examples to the students as to how to execute various stretches and drills. “Aides are a big part of making the class run smoothly,” Hendrix-Smith said. “It’s impossible to do it all by yourself.”

Aide Chandra Campbell, who has been working in the Adapted P.E. class for five years, said she is frustrated by the lack of funding for the program. She said she wishes the school could purchase “proper” Adapted P.E. equipment, including softer balls, balls with bells inside for visually impaired students, a new lift to help students in and out of the pool, and a room designated solely for the use of the Adapted P.E. students.

Hendrix-Smith, who is an Adapted P.E. Specialist with a credential from San Jose State, has been teaching the class for three years, although the program has been around for 35 to 40 years, Zepecki said.

While the students spend the majority of their time working on stretching and motor skills, once a week they take a stroll around campus with the aides. Walking on grass or uneven ground helps the students’ balance and walking skills, Hendrix-Smith said.

Once a month, the Adapted P.E. students join the rest of the students in the Orthopedically Handicapped (OH) program for an afternoon trip to Palo Alto Bowl along with other special education students from PAUSD.

Visiting the bowling alley helps some of the students develop vocational and social skills, Orthopedically Handicapped teacher Janet Fox said.

“It’s a good place to share stories and adventures of the past weekend,” senior OH stuent Justin Steinberg said.

The Adapted P.E. students also prepare for the annual Kiwanis Special Games held at De Anza College in May. More than 700 students from Santa Clara County, including all the Orthopedically Handicapped students from Gunn, participate in the games, Fox said.

Last year, Adapted P.E. student junior Sara Moussavian placed in all the events she participated in, including a softball event, Frisbee throw, and 50-yard dash. amd senior Kelli Lee held the torch at the Games.