The research is clear, whether you’re running around a track or simply stretching in your living room, physical activity can go a long way toward making you happier. The science was on full display this week at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre, during a drop-in movement class for all hosted by the leads of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) advanced course on adapted physical activity.
The course, designed to provide students with advanced skills to facilitate and assess exercise and sport programs for people with varied abilities across all age groups and environments, consists of a lecture and tutorial component.
“The lecture focuses on evidence-based strategies and frameworks that can be applied to program development,” says instructor Nancy Huynh, who developed the course syllabus. “The tutorial is where students develop, implement and evaluate their individualized physical activity program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
That’s where Barb Brophey comes in. She is the director of the Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience (SMILE) program at KPE and designed the tutorial for the course.
“SMILE was founded in 1982 by Professor Jack Scholtz from Acadia University to enhance the total development of children, youth and young adults with varying disabilities through physical activity experiences,” says Brophey. “Under the leadership of Associate Professor Ashley Stirling, vice-dean of programs, our Faculty offered a version of the program from 2015 to 2020, but like many in-person programs, it was interrupted by COVID.
“In 2023, the Faculty partnered with the APTUS treatment centre, a facility offering a variety of supports to people who have developmental disabilities in Toronto and York Region, to bring SMILE back to KPE.”
The program matches KPE students in the adapted physical activity course taught by Huynh with adults in the APTUS treatment centre to deliver physical activity programming over seven weeks through a combination of group and one-on-one targeted activities.
Participants play a variety of sports, from hopscotch and basketball to bowling and badminton, and practice yoga and balance activities to improve coordination and help reduce the risk of falls.
“Having a program like SMILE embedded in the course on adapted physical activity provides students with valuable experiential learning and a chance to apply the theory to practice,” says Huynh. “When we bring learning outside the walls of the classroom, we expand perspectives and provide real world experiences.”
For Brophey, working in the SMILE program - in both iterations - has been one of the highlights of her nearly four decades at U of T, which include being on the Varsity Blues gymnastics team as an undergraduate student, becoming a Junior Blues recreational gymnastics coach during that time and then moving on to competitive coaching within the program.
She also worked for many years at Camp U of T and served as Physical Activity Coaching (PAC) instructor for KPE students in first, second and third year when gymnastics rotation was part of the curriculum.
“I’m pretty sure I taught Vice Dean Stirling,” chuckles Brophey, who moved into her present role in 1999, supervising all of the Faculty’s community programs, while still coaching in the Junior Blues competitive program.
“It has helped me to be a better person and to, hopefully, inspire some of our students to look beyond disability to focus on ability,” she says.
Gathered in the sports gym at the AC to celebrate the end of the course tutorials and SMILE programming, Brophey and Huynh were joined by past and present students of the course, SMILE participants, their support workers, and several KPE faculty and staff, for an hour-long work out session delivered by the Faculty’s fitness and performance team, which put a SMILE on everyone’s face.