The history of APA reveals many titles, but today two terms dominate.

Adapted
physical education (APE), first adopted in 1952 in the United States, focuses on
school-based services. Adapted physical activity (APA), first introduced in 1973
by Canadian and Belgium founders of the Internatimal Federation of Adapted
Physical Activity (IFAPA), is an umbrella term encompassing physical activrty for
persons of all ages in rehabilitation, sport, recreation and physical education.
The United Nations (UN), from the 1970s onward, influenced APA programmes
and research. In 1971 and 1975, respectively, the UN General Assembly
adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons and the
Declaration of the Rights of Disabled Persons. The UN-declared International
Year of the Disabled (1981) and the International Decade of Disabled Persons
(1983-1992) provided visibi[Jty, knowledge and motivation to found advocacy
groups and actively work toward enactment and enforcement of laws and
policies that supported rights. Advocacy thus became a new research area,
VMth law and soctal policy integrated into APA science. In 2006, the UN passed
Article 30.5 of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which
stated that persons with disabilities should participate, 'on an equal basis with
others in recreational, leisure and sporting activities'. This reflects a trend away
from needs-based services toward rights-based opportunities.

1.2. Function
The function of APA science is to provide
1. theoretical and practical knowledge

2. highly qualified professionals and practitioners and

3. research-based practices (services, supports, activities and programmes) that
focus on physical activity goals, needs, rights and empowerment of persons
of all ages with disabilities in physical education, sport, recreation and
rehabilitation. Individuals with disabilities and the contextual factors affecting
their movement performance, as well as social inclusion in physical activities
of choice, are extremely diverse. The functions of APA personnel preparation
in universities is to provide:

0 introductory courses for generalists

0 advanced degree specializations
researchers and administrators and

for

future

university

faculty,

O on-going research to increase and maintain our knowledge base.

APA education's specific functions are:
l. pre-service and in-service in universities

2. continuing education in the field, instruction for parents and the community at
large and

3. infusion practices whereby APA specialists provide generalists with

knowledge about disabilities adapted to general subject matter and
skills needed to integrate persons with disabilites into their classes or
programmes.

Infusion aims to broaden the knowledge base and instructional practices of

generalists to better cover Individual differences associated with disabilities and
enhance supportive attitudes.