Disabled Sports

From Yahoo:
"Government rules U.S. schools must provide sports to disabled"

U.S. schools must give disabled students the chance to compete in extracurricular sports alongside their able-bodied classmates, or else provide them with their own programs, the federal government said in new guidelines issued on Friday. The Education Department issued the directives to clarify schools' legal obligations to their disabled students, and to urge school districts to work with community organizations to "increase athletic opportunities" for them. "Participation in extracurricular athletics can be a critical part of a student's overall educational experience," said Seth Galanter, of the department's civil rights office. "Schools must ensure equal access to that rewarding experience for students with disabilities," he added. The 1973 Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, including public education. The directive followed a critical report by the Government Accountability Office that found disabled students were not being given the same chance to take part in school sports, and recommended that the department clarify and communicate to schools their responsibilities.

Examples of reasonable modifications schools might make to meet their responsibilities included providing "visual clues" alongside a starter pistol to allow hearing disabled students to compete in track events, and waiving the "two-hand touch" finish at swim meets to allow one-armed swimmers to compete/ The new directive was seen by advocates for the disabled as on a par with the 1972 "Title IX" rule that forced schools to provide equal athletic opportunities to girls.

It was also welcomed by disabled student competitors, among them Casey Followay, a 15-year-old high school track athlete confined to a wheelchair by a birth defect, who under current rules, has to race on his own.

        

^ This should have been done decades ago considering the 1973 Rehabilitation Act was enacted (40 years ago this year.) I have worked and dealt with the mentally and physically disabled since I graduated from high school and know that they just want the same opportunities as everyone else. I have been around the world and the US and have seen how people in everyday circumstances treat the disabled - a few help, but most go out of their way to get away from them. Even basic things like holding the door open an extra second while you push a wheelchair in would be a big help that many people refuse to do. I have become good at juggling a wheelchair, several luggage bags and carry-ons while at the same time opening a door while others watch and complain, but not help.  I am no saint and sometimes I don't know how to help a disabled person, but I usually at least offer  - whether they accept it or not is besides the point. Hopefully, this new directive will finally give the disabled children the same rights as other children when playing sports. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/government-rules-u-schools-must-sports-disabled-034926881--business.html