Students with disabilities often left on the sidelines when it comes to school sports

Reports raise questions about full participation. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain by Megan MacDonald, Oregon State University “Teen with special needs makes thrilling buzzer beater shot.” “Special needs student offered shot of a lifetime.” “High school basketball manager gets his time on the court.” These inspirational headlines may sound familiar. They highlight brief but exhilarating moments of disabled students in sports. They represent what’s commonly referred to in the disability community as “inspiration porn,” but they often miss an injustice that deserves far more attention. Student athletes with disabilities are sidelined or, even worse, never granted the opportunity to try out, even though they gained equal rights to extracurricular activities such as school sports more than 50 years ago. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. As a professor who studies sport and physical activity participation of children with disabilities, it’s clear to me that this public law has been misinterpreted for more than 50 years, in ways that deny students equal opportunities. & Clarifying the issue Just over 10 years ago, the U.S. Department of Education had to broadly issue a “Dear Colleague” letter to schools across the country to communicate and clarify their responsibilities...