Hands-on Activity Able Sports:
Invent New Games and Sports

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Identify and describe the steps of the engineering design process.
• Describe key problems with four types of disabilities and the current solutions available.
• Explain the basic knowledge of limited capabilities of people with certain disabilities and their compensating strengths.
• Describe how to use the engineering design process to develop solutions to problems.
• Explain the reasons for their selected designs and material choices.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State Standards

Materials List

• Activity Scenario and Criteria Worksheet (one per group)
• sheets of paper
• drawing utensils, as needed
• cardboard
• various prototyping materials (straws, scissors, popsicle sticks, etc.)

Worksheets and Attachments

Introduction/Motivation

Have you ever thought of how you would play tennis if you could not walk? Or how you would play baseball if you could not see? Probably not! When we do not have a certain disability, the inability to participate in different sports because of physical limitations can be overlooked. 

Some people have difficulty using their legs, arms, fingers, or experience a loss of one or more of their senses due to accidents, birth defects and various physical problems. Engineers work to design and test assistive devices to help people who experience disabilities or physical challenges in their lives to improve their overall quality of life. 

Luckily you have been hired by AbleSports, a small start-up company that manufactures game/sports-related assistive technology. You are an engineer in the new department that has been formed to "invent" new, active sports to be geared specifically toward individuals with disabilities. Your team of engineers has been chosen to lead development on one of these new sports using the engineering design process to design and create with the end user in mind. 

Procedure

Background

People have designed and developed devices to help others with disabilities throughout history. These devices have become a benefit to us all. For example, the first typewriter was built in 1808 by Pellegrino Turri with the purpose to help a blind friend write more legibly, and in 1920, Harvey Fletcher developed the first hearing aids, which eventually led to today's public address systems.

Engineers use the engineering design process to create assistive devices like the wheelchair or eyeglasses to help people with a wide variety of disabilities maintain a normal life. What about sports? Staying active is important to help you strengthen your heart, muscles, and bones and improve your mental health. Everyone - regardless of ability - can participate and excel in all different activities. Adaptive sports - or parasports - are sports that have been modified to allow people with disabilities to play. While adaptive sports date back to the 19th century, they saw a boom in popularity after World War II as a form of rehabilitation for injured veterans.  

As a new hire for Able Sports, you are tasked with developing a new sport using part of the engineering design process (EDP). 

Before the Activity

• Gather some materials (including adhesives and/or fasteners) that you want to offer students to use for their designs. Also consider requesting that students bring in some materials from home. These might include fabric, various plastics and woods, metal, cardboard, etc.
• Make copies of the handouts.

With the Students

Market research surveys show that the general public associates certain criteria with sports, and that in order for new sports to be potentially accepted by the populous, the game must incorporate the following:

• Rules for play, including: Object of the game (for example, in football, the object is to get the most points; in chess the object is to put your opponent in check-mate), scoring, beginning and ending the game
• A well-defined playing space
• Scoring: How is a score made? How much is a score worth?
• An object that is passed around within the playing space

Details of disability-specific criteria for your design are listed on a separate sheet.

Part 1: Ask to Identify the Needs and Constraints (EDP Step 1)

1. Divide the class into groups of 4 students each. 
2. Have the group select one of the four scenarios to design a new sport for. 
3. Instruct each group to discuss the listed criteria and constraints for their chosen scenario. 

Part 2: Research the Problem (EDP Step 2)

1. Have groups conduct research to see what kind of difficulties might be experienced by individuals with the specific disability they chose and what games (if any) exist for people with that disability. 

Part 3: Imagine Possible Solutions & Select the Most Promising Solution (EDP Step 3 and 4)

1. Encourage the students to be as creative as possible! There are no monetary restrictions. This new sport should not be an adaptation of a currently-played sport. Do not include fictional or not-fully-developed technology, such as time traveling devices or personal jet packs.
2. Have each group sketch out several ideas for their new sport. 
3. After they have brainstormed different ideas, encourage each group to select one of their ideas that best fits the criteria and constraints of their end user. 

Part 3: Create a Prototype (EDP Step 5)

1. Give the students time to use the available materials to build out a physical prototype of their sport. They need to include the playing space, any equipment used in the game, and a list of the game rules and team description.

Part 4: Present

At the end of this class, each group must produce the following to present to the other groups:

• Initial drawing of your playing space
• Physical prototype of the new sport
• Rules of the game
• Description of the playing surface (its material and dimensions)
• List of equipment required to play the game
• Description of the teams

Vocabulary/Definitions

adaptive sports: Sports that have been modified to allow people with disabilities to play

assistive device: A device designed and constructed to assist people in carrying out tasks. Also called assistive technology devices.

engineering design process: The iterative process through which engineers develop solutions to meet an objective. The steps of the process include: identifying a problem, research, imagine possible solutions, plan by selecting the most promising solution, create a prototype, test and evaluate, and improve and redesign. Science, mathematics and engineering science concepts are applied throughout the process to optimize the solution.

universal design: The concept of designing buildings, products and technologies so that they are accessible to all people regardless of age, physical abilities or status. Universal design takes into account assistive technology considerations as well as aesthetic aspects of design.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

Think-Pair-Share: Ask student pairs to share what kinds of sports they think would be difficult for people with disabilities (such as those in a wheelchair, on crutches/cane, are blind or deaf). Also have students share what they know about how they, or someone they know, play sports with a disability.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Design Drawing Check-in: Examine students' drawings to ensure design criteria are met and that their proposed game is safe.

Post-Activity Assessment

Presentations: At the end of this class, each group must produce the following to present to the other groups:

• Initial drawing of your playing space
• Physical prototype of the new sport
• Rules of the game
• Description of the playing surface (its material and dimensions)
• List of equipment required to play the game
• Description of the teams

Reflection Questions: Have students spend time reflecting on and answering the questions listed below:

• Why is it important to design for inclusivity?
• Can you think of other examples where engineers equitably and fairly meet the needs of their users?

Troubleshooting Tips

A lot of students do not realize that people using crutches need them at all times to support themselves. Advise students choosing this disability that they cannot incorporate the crutches as a part of the sport (for example, use crutches like a tool to hit a ball, etc.).

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program