Wayne State University has received a $1.25 million grant to prepare adapted physical education, or APE, specialists to serve students with disabilities.

The program, called Project SUPPORT, will train instructors to address a shortage of special education instructors, in Michigan and across the nation. Leah Ketcheson, director of health and physical education teaching, says teachers will customize the PE curriculum to help students improve their motor and social skills, self-esteem, and sportsmanship.

“We are really trying to build that core confidence for children with disabilities, but we’re also trying to build a model where all children are feeling included where all children are feeling included in a more inclusive setting.”

Ketcheson says the shortage of special education personnel, particularly APE specialists, affects the quality of services available to students with disabilities.

The project will prioritize urban school districts across Michigan and in other states, where these shortages are most often severe.