This webinar will review the newly updated fact sheet- Collaboration for Student Access and Success: APE & SBPT Under IDEA, endorsed by APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, SHAPE America and the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities. We will discuss how adapted physical education (APE) and school-based physical therapy (SBPT) professionals work together to promote meaningful access, participation, and progress for students with disabilities. Participants will explore the distinct yet complementary roles of APE teachers and school-based physical therapy practitioners within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including areas of shared responsibility, referral and evaluation considerations, service-delivery decision making, and strategies for collaborative planning.

The source fact sheet specifically addresses the respective roles of APE and SBPT under IDEA, their overlap and differences, and the value of collaboration in supporting students with disabilities. The webinar will highlight student-centered, participation-focused teamwork to connect each profession’s expertise with physical education programming. Participants will share practical methods for communicating across disciplines, clarifying roles on the IEP team, aligning goals and supports, and reducing duplication or fragmentation of services.

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the primary roles, responsibilities, and educational purposes of adapted physical education and school-based physical therapy for students with disabilities under IDEA.
2. Differentiate between APE and SBPT services by analyzing their disciplinary expertise, eligibility considerations, assessment focus, and contributions to a student’s educational program.
3. Identify any limits on collaboration or role; delineating which expertise can contribute which data, service, recommendation, etc.
4. List practical strategies for communication, developing collaborative teams, procedures, and programs.
5. Develop one feasible action step for strengthening APE–SBPT collaboration in the participant’s own school district, program, or practice setting.

Laurie Ray, PT, PhD has over 25 years of experience in school-based physical therapy practice in North Carolina. Dr. Ray has served North Carolina as the Physical Therapy Consultant for NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) since 2005, Medicaid Consultant from 2006-2026 and also serves as Adapted Physical Education Liaison. The NC School-based PT website offers many helpful resources and is utilized by school-based practitioners across the state, nation and internationally.

She is an Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching in the DPT program and Pediatric Residency. Laurie was a founding officer of the APTA NC Pediatric SIG and served as Communication Chair. For the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, she served as Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Leadership Coordinator, Coordinator of the Innovations in School-based PT Annual Conference (10 yrs), Region V Representative, Chair of the School SIG (6 yrs) and on the Policy, Payment and Advocacy Committee.

Dr. Ray previously served on the NC Vocational Rehabilitation Council and currently is the Education-at-Large Representative for the National Alliance of Medicaid in Education. Laurie co-founded www.seekfreaks.com, a web-based resource that reaches across the US and internationally to support best practice for related services, evidence-based practice, and knowledge translation. Dr. Ray’s expertise on school and pediatric practice of physical therapy, Medicaid cost recovery for public schools, anti-discrimination law, ethics, adapted physical education, and related topics, is highly sought across the US. She is a reviewer for Pediatric Physical Therapy, Journal of Allied Health, and on the editorial board for Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy.      

Melissa Bittner, Ph.D., CAPE is an Associate Professor of Adapted Physical Education at California State University, Long Beach. Her research focuses on the physical education of students with disabilities. She has co-authored more than 50 publications and secured more than $4 million in grant funding. She serves as chair of the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) Policy and Advocacy Committee and as the university chair for California State Council on Adapted Physical Education. She has also co-authored two Human Kinetics textbooks: Principles and Methods of Adapted Physical Education: An Evidence-Based Pedagogical Approach and Recreation and Paraeducators in Physical Education.