Delaware teacher creates ‘bocce ramp’ to support play for students of all abilities

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Frank Hughes built his first piece of adaptive play equipment in 2012. Back then, it was a simple catapult to help students with disabilities throw a basketball.

“When I first started in the job I had come across some students that their skills for throwing, their abilities, didn’t match your typical student’s abilities,” Hughes said. “Instead of doing a hand-over-hand assistance, I decided to design a tiny wooden catapult that didn’t throw a ball far, only threw it three feet.”

The hand-over-hand assistance method happens when teachers physically assist a student’s hands going through movements. Hughes said there’s a big boost in confidence when students can perform an activity without physical assistance.

The reaction from students was instantaneous. Their newfound thrill at being able to take part in games with other students soon fueled Hughes’ efforts to build more. Over the years, the physical education teacher at John G. Leach school in New Castle, Delaware has created more than 50 different devices and challenged himself in creating devices that help boost student participation. His designs have helped students living with severe physical and cognitive disabilities play basketball, baseball, soccer, and football.

“What do I build next,” Hughes asked himself, rhetorically. “I kind of just haven’t stopped building and designing and redesigning and really pushing limits of what activity or what skill can I have a student participate in, that they probably have not participated in before.”