International Disability Research in Education and Teacher Training (IDRETT)

Research – Department of Teacher Education

International Disability Research in Education and Teacher Training (IDRETT)

Color pencils. Photo

Our mission is to enhance awareness and knowledge of the disability experience in education by examining it from both national and international perspectives through research, practical activities, and symposia.

This research group was established with the intent of exploring the disability experience in education from multiple perspectives. These perspectives may include diverse school settings (e.g., specialized, integrated, and/or home-based), diverse viewpoints (individuals experiencing disability and/or relevant stakeholders), and diverse aspects of the educational experience (e.g., socialization, subject-based content, physical and environmental access).

Disability and the disability experience are defined and applied broadly to encompass international differences in disability understanding. As a group, we have adopted the United Nations definition of disability, which states that “persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, p. 4).

As stated, the intent of this research group is to explore the disability experience from a broad perspective, however as our acronym suggests (idrett is Norwegian for sport), the co-leaders and several of the collaborators in this group have backgrounds in physical activity, sport, and physical education. Thus, the focus of this group will largely reflect our positionalities.

Research Projects

Research Projects

Our research group prioritizes projects relating to disability experiences, stakeholder experiences, and disability representation and conceptualization. Please use the first three collapsible lists below to learn about the upcoming, ongoing, and completed projects that we are involved with. Expand the final list to find out more about an exciting umbrella project driven by data collected for our master students´theses.

Understanding the Experiences of Youth with Intellectual Disabilities in Rural Norwegian Schools

  • Status: Upcoming- August 2025
  • PhD Project: Rahel Fink
  • Supervisors: Steven K. Holland, Katie Holland
  • Funding: RRS (formerly RSO) position funded by the faculty of Social and Educational Sciences

Service Delivery Models for Students with Disabilities in Norwegian Schools

  • Status: Upcoming- Fall 2025
  • Participants: Katie Holland, Steven K. Holland, Marte Fossflaten Tørring, and Sylvia Söderström

Physical Activity for School Aged Children Experiencing In-patient Medical Care

  • Status: Ongoing
  • Participants: Katie Holland, Justin A. Haegele

Mapping Disability Representation in Physical Education Journals

  • Status: Ongoing
  • Participants: Steven K. Holland

Experiences of Elite Wheelchair Athletes in the United States

  • Status: Manuscripts in Progress
  • Participants: Katie Holland, Steven K. Holland, Cathy McKay
  • Dissemination:
    • Academic Presentations
      • International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA) | June 2025
        • “I didn’t think I qualified”: Adult wheelchair basketball players’ journey to and experience in the sport
        • “It’s like a big family reunion”: Parent experiences of a national wheelchair basketball tournament in the United States
           

Lived Experiences of Individuals with Cerebral Palsy in "Inclusive" Physical Education

  • Status: Completed, manuscript in review
  • Participants: T. Nicole Kirk, Steven K. Holland

Type 1 Diabetes and Schools: Parent’s Experiences

  • Status: Completed
  • Participants: Justin A. Haegele, Steven K. Holland
  • Dissemination: 
    • Publication in International Journal about Parents in Education (In Press)

Wheelchair Basketball in Conflict-Affected Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Students with Disabilities´ Perspectives Toward Integrated Physical Education

Critique of Universal Design for Learning in Physical Education

Inspirational and Worthy of Charity: (Mis)Representations of Disability in Sport Media

  • Status: Completed
  • Participants: Katie Holland, Steven K. Holland, Justin A. Haegele
  • Dissemination:

Experiences of Disabled, Trans Adults in PE and Extracurricular Activities

  • Status: Completed, manuscripts in review
  • Participants: Steven K. Holland, Justin A. Haegele
  • Dissemination:
    • Academic Presentation:
    • European Congress of Adapted Physical Activity | June 2022

This project, Belonging and inclusion in Norwegian PE: An amplified analysis of supervised master’s theses, endeavors to combine and reanalyse data from supervised theses to explore disabled students’ feelings of belonging and inclusion within Norwegian PE. This is ongoing and will include data from completed, current, and future student projects. A complete list of all student projects included to date are below.

  • Status: Ongoing
  • Supervisors: Steven K. Holland, Katie Holland
  • Dissemination:
    • Academic Presentation
      • International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA) | June 2025

Ball Sports and Belonging: An Examination of Visually Impaired Adults’ PE Experiences

Adult Wheelchair Users´ Experiences with Ball Sports in Physical Education: A Retrospective Investigation

"Noe annet enn det vanlige" Voksne med funksjonsnedsettelse sine opplevelser med svømmeundervisning i kroppsøving ("Something out of the ordinary” Adults with disabilities´experiences with swimming lessons in physical education)

  • Status: Completed
  • Master´s Thesis: Nora Oline Klaussen
  • Supervisors: Katie Holland, Steven K. Holland
  • Dissemination:

"Jeg har egentlig ikke fått muligheten til å prøve. Fordi dem har sagt at det er umulig." ("I haven't really had the opportunity to try because they have said it is impossible.")

  • Status: Completed
  • Master´s Thesis: Oda Innvær
  • Supervisor: Steven K. Holland
  • Dissemination:
    • Published to NTNU Open
    • Academic Presentation:
      • Nordic Network on Disability Research Conference | May 2023
         

Symposia

Symposia

Our research group values the ability to learn from both our national and international colleagues. We endeavor to both participate in and host international symposia for research group members and other collaborators to disseminate research, share ideas, and strategically develop future projects. Please use the collapsible list below for more information about one such upcoming symposium.

International Understandings of Physical Education Supports for Students with Disabilities

  • Location/Dates: Tralee, Ireland | 14-15 June 2025
  • Hosts: NTNU´s IDRETT Research Group
  • Attendees: Early career researchers of adapted physical activity representing Japan, Austria, Norway, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, and Chile.
  • Funding: Strategic funds from NTNU´s Department of Teacher Education

Literature

Literature

Our research group members are actively involved in contributing to the knowledge base for students and researchers in our field. Please use the collapsible list below to learn about the academic writing projects that our group is involved with. (More details will be added after publication).

Individual and Focus Group Discussions with Disabled Children and Youth

  • Status: In press
  • Authors: Josephine Blagrave (California State University, Chico, USA), T. Nicole Kirk, Katie Holland 
  • Book Title: Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Methods for Researching Disability in Physical Education
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • Editors: Anthony J. Maher, Justin A. Haegele, Janine Coates (Louborough University)

Understanding Orthopedic Impairments

  • Status: Chapter in progress
  • Authors: Katie Holland, L.J. Pisciotta (Henrico County Public Schools, USA)
  • Book Title: Understanding Adapted Physical Education
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • Editor: Justin A. Haegele 

Understanding Adapted Physical Education Outside of the Gymnasium

  • Status: Chapter in progress
  • Authors: Steven K. Holland
  • Book Title: Understanding Adapted Physical Education
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • Editor: Justin A. Haegele

Service

Service

Service is the next area that our research group would like to focus on. Please use the collapsible list below to read more about what actitions we have identified as priorities over the course of the next two years (2025-2027) in line with the strategic plan of the Department of Teacher Education at NTNU. If you have interest in collaborating or contributing to an in-service workshop, please make contact with one of our research group leaders.

Workshop on Integrating Parasport and Adapted Sport Concepts into Physical Education Sessions

  • Status: In development
  • Attendees: NTNU teacher education students

Consultation and Workshop on Working with Disabled Students in Physical Education

  • Status: In development
  • Attendees: Physical education teachers in Norwegian schools

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Leaders of research group

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Internal Contributors

International Contributors

International Contributors

Student Contributors

Student Contributors

Ingrid Thronæs Kissten (Master´s Project Ongoing)

Maren Østby (Master´s Project Ongoing)

Nora Oline Klaussen (Master´s Project Completed 2024)

Oda Innvær (Master´s Project Completed 2023)