How to integrate children with
special needs into training sessions
Session 1:Tina Walker, Liddy Leeding
Session 2: Steve Peters, Emma Downey,
James Hancox
Why?
• In the UK, there are 880,000 disabled children.
That equates to 6% of all children.
• Equal Opportunities for all children to access
all of our services.
• Lots more children with disabilities in
mainstream schools.
• Being inclusive is good for everyone and not
doing so would be discrimination & unlawful.
What are the barriers?
Barriers
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Attitudes
Lack of Specialist equipment / resources
Lack of knowledge / experience / training
Physical barriers / infrastructure
Staff
Time
Cost
How to overcome the barriers?
How to make it work
• Find out as much possible about individual
needs in advance
• Work with parents / carers / staff
• Additional resources
• Plan
• Adapt
• Support
Consider
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Ratios
Length of sessions and number of sessions
Instructors
Content
Resources
Teaching Style & Communication Methods
Practicalities
Interpretation of National Standards
Case Studies
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Deaf / Hearing impaired
Only one hand / arm
Visually Impaired
Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties
Special Educational Needs
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Child with only one arm
• Unable to signal
• Looking more important
• Teach different strategies for making turns
Deaf Children
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May need a support worker to sign for them
Radio mikes may be beneficial
Need to rely on looking when riding
Use visual aids while teaching
Must be able to see instructor clearly for lip
reading during group discussions
• Careful positioning of instructors/helpers
Visual impairments
• Adapt drills to suit their field of vision
• May need an instructor/parent to ride with
them
• May benefit from following
lines/colours/voice
• Will need to be able to hear instructors voice
• Careful positioning of instructors/helpers
• Consider joint training on a tandem
Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties
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Find it hard to concentrate
Need lots of riding & physical activity
Adjust teaching style – less talking, more riding
Respond well to rewards and praise
Smaller ratios and support workers essential
Shorter sessions
Adjust ground rules – focus only on most
important things
Special Educational Needs
• Should have a statement or individual learning
plan
• May have a support worker
• Will need clear concise instructions
• May benefit from visual aids
• May need to repeat the course
• Consider joint training with parents
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
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Often very bright
Need time to process information
May find group situations difficult
Need clear, precise instructions
May use different forms of communication
Are very literal
May have balance and coordination problems
Training on non standard bikes
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Consider practicalities
Getting there/back
Speed and handling of the bike
Additional accessories and adaptations
Room to accommodate bikes whilst not riding
Adjust training sites/routes
Adjust drills
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Tricycles
Hand cycles
Quad cycles
Wheelchair
transporters
• Two seater cycles
• Recumbants
• Side by Side cycles
Guidance
• www.gov.uk/guidance/the-national-standardfor-cycle-training
• Delivering inclusive cycle training - a good
practice guide for disability cycle training
DfT Bikeability Funding
• The grant available is for Bikeability Level 2 training
delivered, not the numbers of children that actually
pass Level 2. It is entirely appropriate, therefore, to use
the funding to deliver Level 2 training to children who
are unlikely to achieve all or indeed many of the Level 2
outcomes.
• Grant funding is aimed at children aged between 9 –
14*. However, where training is provided to children
with Special Educational Needs, they should be under
16 or still attending compulsory education.