Schools must provide sports for disabled, US says

[Donjeta]

Donjeta et al.,

I actually agree with you all and the spirit of this ruling. I'm just trying to think about the ramifications. Even if prosthetics don't convey an unfair advantage now, what about 5 years from now? I don't think a blanket ruling re disabled students is quite the same as one re equal opportunities for females.

Blanket rulings are probably never possible because disabilities, sports, and the things the students need to help them are all so varied that the feasibility of the inclusion has to be determined on a case by case basis I think but I don't think this was a blanket ruling anyway. "If officials can make reasonable modifications to accommodate them" leaves a lot of wiggle room.

What about the future? What if things change 5 or 50 or 500 years from now and it becomes an advantage to belong in a minority group X that is considered disadvantaged now? Does or should that mean that we should not strive to provide equal opportunities of inclusion to members of X now?
Say, what if five years from now hearing impaired people can be implanted a device that not only functions as a hearing aid but also autotranslates several foreign languages. Should they be excluded from Spanish lessons now, because they may or may not have an unfair advantage some day in the future? Of course not.

 

[Nova]

Donjeta, I was just enjoying a conversation about the possible ramifications of a new ruling. My point wasn't that prosthetics should be banned because they might be improved in the future; I was merely pointing out, for the sake of discussion, that prosthetics might one day confer an unfair advantage. And how would this ruling solve the issue when it arose?

I promise you: I have no ax to grind here. I'm all for increased access for disabled students wherever it can be achieved.

 

[momrids6]

On my son's IEP when he was in HS, it did state that what, if any accomodations were needed for him to access extracurricular activities, sports and clubs. He played varsity football all 4 years. I know our track team had a member in a wheelchair- who was in the pack like everyone else. No one here has had a problem with it. Kids are treated the same.