A partnership for more inclusion

02.02.2015

How an interdisciplinary, cross-border collaboration between Berlin and Vienna benefits integrated physical education: The self-evaluation tool LIRSPE allows teachers to reflect on as well as rate their means and potential to provide an inclusive setting for children with disability.

In a close and active cooperation between PD Dr. Martin Giese of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Humboldt University Berlin and assistant professor Dr. Stefan Meier of the Department of Sport Science at the University of Vienna, a useful self-evaluation tool for teachers was translated and validated for Germany, Austria and Israel.

The ‘Lieberman-Brian Inclusion Rating Scale for PE’ (LIRSPE) is a tool to evaluate the efforts made by teachers to include children with disabilities in a general physical education environment. Due to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), pupils with and without disabilities should be enabled to attend mainstream schools together. Yet, many children do not feel included in integrated physical education settings, despite teachers' attempts to include them. 

LIRSPE helps evaluate the efforts teachers make to include disabled children in PE lessons – which are clearly shaped by options and resources available – in a standardised manner. As a consequence, gaps may be identified and solutions found to further an inclusive setting.

Both CENTRAL partners highly value this well-established and fruitful cross-border research setting and already make plans for more joint research endeavours.