One COOL APA -study module will be “Inclusion strategies: tools for supporting participation and engagement”. My thesis is also about inclusion, so I needed to gather a theory background both for my thesis and also for the module development. I had to find information about how inclusion appears in every COOL APA country; Finland, Czech Republic, Ireland, Ukraine and Lithuania.
I used mostly Google Scholar and Microsoft Copilot to find research articles about inclusion in COOL APA countries. All the sources were not research articles, but also some other professional articles and websites (e.g. Sport Ireland-website). All of the research articles were less than ten years old, most of them were under five years old, because we needed to know the current situation.
I also interviewed one to three people from each partner country. They gave me information how inclusion appears in schools and sports clubs etc.
With the information I had, I made a table about
1. How inclusion is implemented in each partner country
2. Main challenges in each partner country
3. Good practices in each partner country
| Country | How inclusion is implemented: | Main challenges: | Good practices: |
| Czech Republic | Sports clubs have both separate and some inclusive groups. In schools, inclusion is possible but often only nominal in PE. | Lack of accessibility, insufficient competence of coaches and teachers, negative attitudes, resource cuts. | Equipment rental possibilities (in some regions), external instructors supporting school PE. |
| Ukraine | Both segregation and integration exist. Inclusion in school PE is a goal but remains rare. There are not many inclusive sports clubs. | War, destroyed infrastructure, lack of resources and training, not enough qualified teachers and special education teachers. | UNICEF Sport for Development -project, inclusive rehabilitation training, physical activity as part of psychological and physical recovery (war-veterans). |
| Lithuania | There are separate and partially inclusive sports clubs for people with disabilities. Inclusion in schools has increased but varies. | Regional inequalities, weak monitoring systems for inclusion, lack of teacher competence, negative attitudes. | Additional teacher training, legislative changes supporting the local school principle. |
| Ireland | Both disability-specific clubs and inclusive sports clubs. In schools, segregation, integration, and inclusion coexist. | Large differences in attitudes and competence among coaches and teachers, inconsistent practices. | Sport Ireland strategies, many sport federations have named people to be responsible for inclusion strategies, APA training programs (e.g. SEND, CARA). |
| Finland | Both separate and inclusive solutions in sports clubs. In school PE, implementation varies greatly depending on the teacher. | Exclusion from activities is common, limited teacher education, lack of practical guidelines. | National programs, services of the Finnish Paralympic Committee, additional APA training for teachers. |
Three key points that are common to all countries are:
- Inclusion is a goal in all countries, but it is implemented unevenly.
- Lack of competence, resources, and positive attitudes slows progress.
- Education and support are seen as key factors in improving inclusion.
I used AI to help me to summarize the table and common things in every country and translate some of the things in English.
Author: Meeri Kuisma, sports instructor student from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. I am doing my on-the-job training in COOL APA-project.
