Hollis Fait Scholarly Award

Dr. Hollis Francis Fait was a pioneering figure in physical education whose scholarship and leadership helped shape the foundations of adapted physical education (APE). He earned his PhD from the University of Iowa and spent most of his academic career as a professor at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Fait’s writings on the effects and benefits of physical education programs for individuals with disabilities were widely recognized for their influence in enhancing quality of life for children with disabilities. In 1960, he published Adapted Physical Education, a seminal text that served as a model for subsequent adapted physical education texts and provided a curricular framework for K–12 programs serving students with disabilities. His enduring impact laid the groundwork for generations of professionals committed to evidence-based, high-quality APE and adapted physical activity programming.