By Senior Correspondent Desirée Taylor
NJ Today
The U.S. Department of Education has clarified and updated an existing law that mandates equal access to sports for students with disabilities. It calls for schools across the country to make reasonable changes to sports programs to accommodate students with disabilities or provide equal alternatives. Advocates for people with disabilities hope the directive will have the same impact as Title IX, which greatly impacted women and girls’ participation in sports over the past several decades.
The directive gives examples of reasonable changes schools can make to comply. Among them, using a visual cue alongside a starter pistol for a person with a hearing impairment.
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Trisha Yurochko, the Head Coach for “Lightning Wheels,” a Paralympic sports club sponsored by the Children’s Specialized Hospital, believes schools should look to programs like this one for guidance.
“Yes, it may be difficult for schools to figure out how to transport students with disabilities, where to put their wheelchairs …. but it can be done,” said Yurochko.
The New Jersey Department of Education will provide guidance to districts in the coming months. And the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletics Association is setting up a task force that will make recommendations to its members by the end of the year.