Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Athletics

“For me it’s not about being able-bodied or disabled — it’s all the same to me — I get up and race.”

Natalie DuToit, Olympic and Paralympic athlete. Natalie swam in the 2008 summer Olympics after having her left leg amputated at the knee.

We all need a space to belong, contribute and matter. In schools, extra-curricular activities provide students opportunities to meet these developmental needs. Athletics are the most popular extra-curricular activity for school-age students. The most popular reason given by students for participating in school athletics is to play with friends and make new friends.¹

There are many uplifting stories of sports teams embracing a student with disabilities and making it possible for them to have an inclusive moment of triumph; making a basket, kicking a goal or running a race. There are fewer stories of students with less noticeable disabilities experiencing significant personal accomplishments such as stepping onto the playing field or court for the first time or making the final cut for the team when they feared it may not be possible.

Benefits of Athletics

Participation in school athletics has a positive effect on the physical and mental health of students and contributes to their overall well-being. Physical activity promotes academic learning.

Athletics provide a natural setting for students with disabilities to interact with their peers and develop positive peer relationships. Friendship is a normative experience that promotes the development of social skills.

Despite the benefits, many students, especially students with disabilities, find limited opportunities to participate in school athletic programs. This article shares how schools can grow the breadth and inclusivity of their athletic programs.

Related Laws

The rights of students with disabilities to participate in school sports is rooted in several federal laws. These laws require schools to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular athletics to the maximum extent appropriate based on each student’s needs.

Equal opportunity does not guarantee a student with a disability a spot on the team. Sports are competitive by nature and many students without disabilities are unable to participate in some sports. Schools can require a minimum level of skill for participation in a competitive activity as long as the selection criteria is not discriminatory. However, schools cannot impose or apply participation standards that intentionally or unintentionally prevent a student with a disability from taking part in an activity.

Making Participation Possible

According to the NFHS, state athletics associations and school districts are “…free to establish participation requirements for student-athletes, including qualifying standards…” A student with a disability is considered otherwise qualified if they “…can satisfy all essential skill, ability, physical, and eligibility requirements for participation either in spite of the disability or with reasonable accommodation for the disability.”

Schools and athletic governing bodies have a legal duty to modify an activity’s participation requirements to ensure the equal opportunity of an otherwise qualified student with a disability. These modifications must be based on each student’s individual abilities regardless of disability. Schools must conduct an individualized assessment to determine whether a modification can be made that would allow a student with a disability to participate. A modification cannot fundamentally alter the nature of the activity or provide a student with a disability an unfair advantage. In addition, a student’s participation cannot pose a significant risk to the health or safety of the student with a disability or other participants.²

Schools are also required to provide students with disabilities “…the supplementary aids and services determined by the child’s IEP team to be appropriate and necessary for the child to participate in nonacademic settings.” 34 C.F.R.§300.117. Nonacademic settings includes athletic programs. The needed supplementary aids and services must be documented in a student’s Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.)

Examples of Modifications

Following are some examples of a modification, aid, services and an unfair advantage.

• Modification: Waving the “two-hand” touch finish in a swimming race for a student with a missing or amputated limb.
• Aid: Providing a visual cue alongside a starter pistol to signal the start of a race for a student with a hearing impairment.
• Service: Making trained personnel available to assist a student with diabetes with glucose testing and insulin administration. A second example is providing an interpreter to communicate information to a student with a hearing impairment.

An example of an unfair advantage would be to allow a different qualifying time standard in a track event for a student with a disability.

Alternative Programs

While not making a team or failing to meet the participation requirements of an activity is not necessarily exclusion, it can still result in isolation. Schools should establish and support inclusive athletic and recreational activities for students with disabilities.

Special Olympics is a program in which individuals with intellectual disabilities compete in different sports at various competitive levels. To promote social inclusion, Special Olympics established Unified Sports, in which students with disabilities and their peers who do not have an intellectual disability participate together in team sports.

Adapted sports programs allow students with physical disabilities to participate in a sport in ways similar to able-bodied athletes. Adapted sports teams typically adhere to standardized seasons, published rules of play, policies, procedures, regulations and safety guidelines.³

Allied Sports is a program that fosters inclusivity in interscholastic sports. Students with intellectual disabilities and students with physical disabilities play on the same team alongside students without disabilities.

Even with alternative offerings, schools should focus on making their athletic programs as inclusive as possible.

Inclusive Strategies for All Student-Athletes

John Gagliardi is the winningest college football coach of all time. Along with winning, he became known for the things he wouldn’t do (captured in his list of 100 “No’s”). One of the things he would not do is cut players from the team.

Ideally, school athletic programs will have the overall capacity to provide opportunities that match the abilities of all students. Meeting this goal begins with providing accommodations that can benefit ALL student athletes. After all, children who are formally identified as a student with a disability represent some of the students in the school with significant challenges. Many students with learning, emotional, behavioral and physical challenges go unidentified or do not qualify as a student with a disability.

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning is a strategic, research-based framework for making instruction, content, materials, activities and assessments accessible and inclusive to all learners. UDL principles can benefit students on the playing fields and courts just as they benefit them in the classroom. Some ideas follow:

• Establish fair and simple team rules. Post them in visible locations and frequently review, reference and reinforce them.
• Allow students to gradually acclimate to practice and game situations.
• Plan clear and concise practice schedules that are structured to provide smooth and consistent transitions.
• When giving directions break down the instruction and information into small chunks. Present information from the smaller parts to the whole.
• Frequently check for understanding. Repeat and restate as needed.
• Be consistent with language. Use clear and concise terms and phrases.
• Use plenty of repetition when practicing new skills/plays.
• Provide demonstrations.
• Provide positive reinforcement.

Coaches can consult with special educators to develop techniques and practices that will benefit students with disabilities, and thereby help all students. Special educators and case managers should invite coaches to IEP and Section 504 meetings and ensure that relevant information from these plans is shared with coaches.

School athletic programs are about more than just sports. They promote social inclusion, self-confidence and a sense of belonging for all students. Creating an environment of acceptance and inclusivity provides a positive experience for everyone involved.