An important event that brings together scholars and practitioners in the areas of inclusive and adaptive physical activity, kinesiology, physical education and disability studies will be hosted at Brock University this fall.

The Brock-Niagara Centre of Excellence in Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity (CAPA) will host the North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (NAFAPA) Symposium from Oct. 11 to 13, an event that had been rescheduled from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the CAPA is to promote and enhance awareness and development of inclusive and adaptive physical activity programming, while NAFAPA is the North American branch of an organization dedicated to the “promotion, dissemination and application of research in the field of physical activity for the benefit of populations experiencing disabilities and their families.”

“In partnership with the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and aligning with Brock’s strategic goals of inclusion and community engagement, CAPA is well-positioned to bring together this group of dedicated leaders and learners,” says Centre Director and Physical Education Professor Maureen Connolly. “This meaningful event will allow participants to share knowledge and advance scientific inquiry and application of adapted physical activity.”

To ensure a well-rounded program, the host committee is now accepting abstract submissions for presentations and posters in a variety of formats, as well as nominations for awards in four categories.

“The symposium format will include traditional, participatory and consultative research approaches, graduate student presentations and interactive gymnasium sessions and opportunities for skills building,” Connolly says.

The symposium will feature keynote addresses from Tim Fletcher, Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Brock, Øyvind Førland Standal, Professor at the Institute for Primary and Secondary Education at Oslo Metropolitan University, and Meghann Lloyd, Associate Professor and Director of Kinesiology at Ontario Tech University.

New to the symposium for this year, Brock has included programming called Welcome to My Gymnasium for presentations of adaptive programming that demonstrate inclusive techniques and a discussion of the pedagogy behind the presentation.

“We are in a position as a host committee to provide a full list of available equipment that is used regularly in our Supporting Neurodiversity through Adaptive Programming (SNAP) and autism spectrum summer camps for presenters to use in their sample interactive class sessions,” Connolly says.

The awards portion of the event will recognize: outstanding graduate student research in adapted physical activity; a new investigator who is making significant scientific contributions to the field; and a prestigious leadership award for a distinguished career of outstanding professional contributions to the field.

“Emphasizing the principle CAPA abides by, ‘nothing about us without us,’ we are working to bring together a community panel made up of panelists with insiders’ experience,” Connolly says.

CAPA’s Community Advisory Council, comprised of disabled people from various disability communities, are actively involved in the symposium planning.

For more information on registration, submitting an abstract, award nominations and deadlines, please visit the Brock NAFAPA web page. Individuals who submitted abstracts for the 2020 Symposium will be contacted by the committee.