Adapted PE
Category: Adaptations for Physical Activities

I have a child on my softball team who is in need of a special glove. Due to a birth defect, she is missing some fingers on her left hand, making the use of a traditional glove difficult. Do you know of any equipment we can find to help her?

There all sorts of differently shaped gloves on the market; even a catcher’s glove may help. Also, you can take a glove that is a good size and cut the fiber separations between the fingers of the glove, to accommodate a larger finger appendage.

You mention that some of her fingers are missing. If the ones that are present fit in the glove okay; you may just want to add a velcro strap to the palm of the glove without the fingers; and connect it to a wrist band with Velcro; to add to the catching ability, which would help the grasp.

You can also add Velcro to the ball and glove, if this is a young child where such an adaptation would be allowed; this would not work for a an older child in a regulation softball game.

You should also check out the equipment catalogs; new equipment is developed all the time.

There is a nice adapted equipment book by Stopka and Bowie sold by Pearson publishers which shows adapted catching and throwing gloves; you can get it cheap at Amazon.com.

Last modified date: 9/12/2010

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