#20 - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Adapted PE with Brad Hunter

Secure your spot for the 2025-2026 DPE Virtual Book Study, facilitated by Gary Zaharatos and Jen Smith. Buy tickets here! Feel free to email gary@distinguishedpe.com for group discounts or any questions. 

 

My guest today is Brad Hunter. 

Brad has been working with students in a physical activity capacity for 19 years. First, with a non-profit whose mission was to bring meaningful play to schools, then 9 years as an Elementary PE teacher, and currently is in his 6th year as an Itinerant Adapted PE teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools. Brad serves on the Board of SHAPE Maryland, is the President of the Maryland Adapted PE Consortium, and  is Co-Chair of the Maryland State Department of Education Standards and Framework Validation Committee. Brad is the 2023 SHAPE Maryland Adapted PE Teacher of the Year and 2025 Eastern District Adapted PE Teacher of the Year.

In this episode we discuss why it’s important for PE teachers to develop an adapted PE skill set, strategies for making physical activity accessible for students with diverse abilities, creative equipment adaptations that make a positive impact on student learning, how PE teachers and APE teachers can have a productive and collaborative working relationship, adapted PE resources, and other topics. Brad is a true expert in the field of adapted PE and it was a pleasure to learn from him. And now I bring you, Brad Hunter.

 

Resources and National Convention Sessions

Why All Physical Education Teachers Need an Adapted PE Bucket

https://blog.shapeamerica.org/2025/03/why-all-physical-education-teachers-need-an-adapted-pe-bucket/

 

Baltimore 2025

Adapted PE = High Quality PE

Wednesday April 2nd

3:15-4:15pm

 

Why We All Need An Adapted PE Bucket

Thursday April 3rd

8:00-9:00am

 

Just Adapt It - Brad Barker

 

Find DPE merch, including t-shirts and hoodies here. 

 

Second Annual Colorado Health and Physical Education Summit 2025

 

This is a free professional development event. The Summit supported and developed by the Colorado Health and Physical Education Council, the council consists of health and physical education district coordinators and other partners from across the state of Colorado. This summit promises inspiration, networking opportunities, and a shared commitment to fostering healthier futures. 

 

June 4 & 5, 2025 - 8am-4pm

Jefferson High School

2305 Pierce Street

Edgewater, Co., 80214

Register here!

 

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Click here to connect!

 

If you enjoy this podcast and are interested in learning more about how you or the PE teachers in your district can earn licensure renewal credits through a facilitated book study based on the book Becoming a Distinguished Physical Education Teacher, please fill out this form or email gary@distinguishedpe.com.

 

If you haven’t already, be sure to join our Facebook group where we have assembled quite the group of experts, always willing to share their insights and help out colleagues with their problems of practice. Simply search for Distinguished Physical Education.