Equal Opportunity in Sports for

Students with Disabilities

By Brent Peluso
What does this Issue Entail?
Sports hold important health and social benefits to those who participate

Students with physical disabilities are often

excluded from consideration for a sports team

Few high schools have programs or make

accommodations to include disabled students in
athletic activities
Examples of this Issue
Wallace Landenberger is 16 years old and has a Syracuse sports teams
muscular disability. He plays hockey for the Ann provide opportunities for
Arbor Rockets. Especially in sports, disabled students with disabilities.
students are often treated as fragile. The Rockets One example of this is
destroy this stereotype and have created a disabled student, Craig Lawrence, who has
nonprofit organization where disabled students autism and a learning disability. He is the team
not only play hockey, but also builds confidence, manager for the football team. His main task is
provides friendships fosters teamwork, and helps making sure the entire team is hydrated. Through
develop social skills. his interactions with the players on the football
team, his social skills have seen improvement.
Craig is one of many disable syracuse students
who have benefitted from participation in the
sports program.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 21, Part 2
Everyone has the right of equal access to public
service in his country
In public high schools, the ability to try out for a
sports team should be available to all persons,
regardless of disability. A merit and skill based
judging should constitute the process of forming
teams.
Article 26, Part 2
Education shall be directed to the full
development of the human personality and to
the strengthening of respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote
understanding, tolerance and friendship among
all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall
further the activities of the United Nations for the
maintenance of peace
This article describes that the nature of public
education, and thereby sports teams affiliated
with it, shall promote understanding, tolerance,
and frienship.
Connection to United States
Public school systems are working to accommodate students with disabilities under the guidance of four

major laws. These include the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Rehabilitation

Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and state and local

codes(Williams, 2). Each of these includes regulations and provisions for the participation of individuals

with disabilities.
Sources
https://blog.ed.gov/2013/01/we-must-provide-equal-opportunity-in-sports-to-student
s-with-disabilities/

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-clarifies-schools
-obligation-provide-equal-opportunity-s

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201301-504.pdf

http://www.standard.net/News/2016/11/17/Syracuse-athletics-makes-place-for-specia
l-needs-students

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/03/03/disabled-hockey-progr
am-ann-arbor/98626852/