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Bedford students try adaptive sports in Northeast Passage "Similarity Awareness Day"
Summary
Ross Adlergio Middle School hosted Northeast Passage’s Similarity Awareness Day for students and staff; Bedford educators say the event aimed to increase inclusion in PE and gave staff practical, adaptable techniques for inclusive physical education. The Bedford Education Foundation funded the sessions.
Ross Adlergio Middle School students spent multiple days using adaptive sports wheelchairs and learning about adaptive athletics during a Northeast Passage “Similarity Awareness Day,” presenters told the Bedford School Board on April 14. The program brought adaptive-sport wheelchairs into school PE classes and ran separate sessions for staff.
School leaders said the weeklong activity was intended to give students first‑hand experience with mobility limitations and to teach classmates how to include peers who use wheelchairs in typical games and activities. The presenter described stations that used about 25–30 sport-style adaptive chairs and said every PE class at the school participated across four student days; staff attended a separate training day.
Board members heard that the activity grew from a long partnership between Northeast Passage (an adaptive recreation program based at the University of New Hampshire) and the district; staff said they have worked with the organization for decades to support students with mobility challenges. Presenters said the activity included demonstrations of how Paralympic sports are adapted and hands-on rotations where students played handball and badminton from a wheelchair.
Students who participated told the board the experience increased empathy and changed their understanding of how physically demanding wheelchair sports can be. One student said simple tasks such as moving forward, turning and gripping the wheels required substantially more effort than expected; another said classmates who use wheelchairs were “shining bright” because of their experience and skill.
PE teachers Matt Vitliano and Christine Corey described logistical planning—moving classes through rotations, adapting equipment (for example foam padding on rackets), and borrowing or modifying gear to include all students. They also ran a district staff workshop with Northeast Passage to share games and rental equipment options with PE teachers across the district.
Presenters told the board the sessions were funded by the Bedford Education Foundation (BEF). District staff stated a per‑day fee of $500 for Northeast Passage instruction and said the program ran four student days plus one staff day; BEF covered the cost. Board members discussed the possibility of repeating the program and of students or staff competing in outside events such as Granite State Independent Living’s “Hoops on Wheels.”
Board members praised the event as a practical staff‑development opportunity and an experience that students enjoyed and learned from; presenters said they plan to keep adapting equipment and to continue inclusive practices in Unified PE and other classes.
The board received the presentation and did not take formal action at the meeting.
