Activity Programs Teach Life Skills to Students with Disabilities

The purpose of education is to prepare students for success as adults. One of the most significant ways to help students prepare is by ensuring they have opportunities to learn and nurture the life skills necessary to succeed. This is especially important for students with disabilities who may not learn these life skills elsewhere.

It may be tempting to overlook the benefits of participation in afterschool activity programs for students with disabilities and instead focus on their academic, therapeutic and behavioral needs. However, overlooking the benefits of activity programs for these students fails to recognize that they need to learn the same life skills as much as, if not more than, their non-disabled peers.

Afterschool activity programs allow students with disabilities the chance to pursue their special interests outside of the general education curriculum alongside their non-disabled peers. The benefits all students receive from participating in high school activity programs are far-reaching, from academic to social. In addition to providing students with opportunities for recreation and fun, the life skills students learn through such participation will support success throughout their lives.

Creating and promoting opportunities and supports for students to learn necessary life skills helps them develop the competencies, confidence, values and social connectedness they need to transition positively to adulthood. Activity programs teach necessary life skills such as executive functions, communication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.

Executive functioning skills are like the operating system in a computer. It may not appear to do much on its own, but without it, nothing else will happen. These skills enable all students to navigate and succeed in adult life. Time management, prioritization, organization, discipline, commitment and follow-through are all components of executive functioning. Participating in performing arts, fine arts and other activity programs adds responsibilities to a student’s schedule, requiring them to develop and use their executive functioning skills.

Communication skills are a foundational component of many other life skills. Effective communication is both expressive and receptive. Learning to communicate well requires one to be able to convey their message in ways others can easily understand. It also requires active listening or listening with intentionality and consideration to truly understand the other person. Students with disabilities can develop this life skill through many different activities, but it is especially relevant to speech and debate where effective communication is explicitly taught.

Life is filled with obstacles to overcome. High school activity programs provide all students the opportunity to learn skills to problem-solve and overcome life’s challenges, which requires the ability to analyze the problem, think critically, plan, and be able to adapt when life does not go according to plan. Students with disabilities can learn problem-solving skills through any activity where planning and adapting to challenges are key. Students must think on their feet and adapt to solve problems on the basketball court, the theater stage and even the mock courtroom.

The majority of great accomplishments are not the result of a single individual but rather the work of a group of people. Being able to collaborate and work well with others is a necessary life skill. Afterschool activity programs afford students with disabilities the chance to learn and develop teamwork skills. Commitment to a collective mission, loyalty to the team and a willingness to do their part to accomplish the goals of the team are important life skills learned through sports, choir, band and theater. The sights and sounds of a marching band working as a team can inspire a stadium full of fans, but just a few members out of sync can ruin the show.

Activity programs afford students the chance to learn leadership skills, which include both leading others and following a leader. Being able to function well within a hierarchy is an important skill for success in adulthood. Students with disabilities can learn leadership skills – as the team co-captain leading teammates or as a team member following the captain’s lead.

Just like their non-disabled peers, students with disabilities have many skills, talents and interests that deserve attention and cultivation. Identifying and recognizing these talents is crucial, especially when their challenges and limitations are more frequently the focus. Participating in high school activity programs allows students with disabilities the opportunity to recognize and to be recognized for their talents and skills.

How students with disabilities perceive themselves and how they are perceived by their non-disabled peers matters. Participating alongside their non-disabled peers creates an environment in which all students can have positive experiences. This can help reduce negative perceptions of themselves that many students with disabilities feel and help foster a more positive attitude among non-disabled students about students with disabilities.

When students with disabilities are included and given the opportunity to participate in high school activity programs along with their non-disabled peers, it can help improve their psychological and emotional well-being. A benefit in its own right, improved psychological and emotional well-being may also benefit students through improved attitudes, school performance, and the confidence necessary to succeed in life.

Learning these essential life skills will empower students with disabilities to lead productive lives as adults – achieving their post-secondary goals, gaining employment and living independently.