San Mateo County Disability Awareness Curriculum
Ten Commandments of Communicating with People With Disabilities
_________________________________________________________________
MassBowling is one of the few games where students with disabilities may join in without any special modifications. Anyone who can roll a ball can participate effectively. As such, it becomes a great vehicle for teaching Disability Awareness. As a lead-up, groups of three students will be given one ball, a pin and any items needed to create a disabling condition. As one student moves 20 feet away to set the pin, another student "disables" him/herself while the last student prepares to assist the student who is "disabled". The students will rotate positions so that they all have the same experience.
During game play, select a few students from each team to be "disabled". You can have all the selected students to be "disabled" in the same manner, or you can choose to have them represent different disabilities. Non-disabled players should be instructed to assist their disabled teammates as needed. Post-game discussion should focus on what it feels like to play the game while disabled. Also, ask students which strategies they employed were most effective.
_________________________________________________________________
By modifying MassBowling rules, we can place more importance on the player with a disability:
MassBowling Modified Rules:
1. Each team must have one player who will have a physically disabling condition. (blindfolded, confined to a chair, etc.)
2. The player with the physically disabling condition will be an offensive player. Other players may assist this player in any way within the rules to maximize performance.
3. Four "Bonus" balls will be put into play. They will be of a unique size or color and may only be used by the player from each team who is handicapped. If a non-handicapped player uses a bonus ball to attack their opponents pin, a penalty will be assessed to that players team. The penalty will be a reduction of one point to that team's score. If the bonus ball rolled by a player with a handicap causes the opponents pin to fall down, five points are awarded. For example, if a defender knocks down his own pin attempting to deflect a "bonus" ball, the points awarded should be the same as if the "bonus" ball caused the pin to fall.
With the change in rules comes a change in the team's strategy of play. The focus is now on the "bonus" balls and the skill of the player who will roll the "bonus" ball. All players must be more efficient in defending against the "bonus" balls rolling toward their pin and in getting the "bonus" balls into an attack position. The skill of the player with the disability becomes a matter of great importance as his/her ability to deliver the ball effectively may be the difference in winning and losing. The disability has been built into the competitive environment and becomes a situation where new skills and strategies are created.