About S.M.I.L.E.
Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience – an innovative, academic-based, volunteer-driven program empowering individuals with disabilities through tailored physical activity.
The Acadia S.M.I.L.E. Program is an innovative, academic-based, volunteer-driven program that provides persons with varying disabilities a unique physical activity experience to improve their total development as individuals.
To achieve this goal, an individual education plan is developed for each participant that includes:
- Water orientation activities
- Physical fitness for strength, endurance and flexibility
- Body and spatial awareness development
- Temporal awareness and sport skills
All of this is done within a safe environment of play and fun in which Acadia University student-volunteers provide one-on-one instruction to our participants, and in the process, develop their own leadership skills.
Our History
Professor Jack Scholz, a respected faculty member in Acadia University's School of Recreation and Physical Education and head coach of the Acadia men's and women's varsity swim team, founded S.M.I.L.E. in 1982.
An Acadia graduate who was teaching a special education class in Kings County had asked Professor Scholz if he could provide aquatic instruction to seven of his students. Jack recruited the required volunteers for this task and so S.M.I.L.E. was born. News of the program spread quickly and expanded to include more schools and sessions.
Current Enrollment
250+ participants and 400+ volunteers
