Serving Student-Athletes with Disabilities

Rehab Act

Rehab Regs. • Mainstreaming required

– Schools must ensure participation of SWD to “maximum extent appropriate”

• Provision of equal opportunity– Schools shall provide “to qualified handicapped students an equal

opportunity for participation.”

• Creation of adapted programs encouraged

OCR Letter • Integrated Programs:

– Clarifies when and how schools must include students with disabilities in mainstream athletic programs

• Reasonable Accommodation

• Equal Treatment: – Defines what true equal treatment of student athletes with disabilities means

• Access to participation without regard to disability

• Adapted Programs – Encourages and provides a road map for schools to create adapted programs for students with

disabilities • (i.e. wheelchair basketball)

OCR Letter • What Inclusion is Required? Reasonable Accommodations

• Accommodations are reasonable where they do not:a. Alter an essential aspect of the game, or

-(i.e. constant contact wrestling)b. Create a competitive advantage

-i.e. 1 hand touch in swimming

• Reasonableness determined by Individualized Assessments

Next Steps

• Survey the Landscape • Existing participation • Data collection

• Develop Policies and Procedures • Individualized Assessment process • Education of coaches and students

• Infrastructure for Disability Emerging Sports

NCAA Student-Athletes with Disabilities Subcommittee - Current Priorities

• Data collection:- How many students on campus have disabilities?

- How many students with disabilities participating in sports?

• Create glossary of disability-related terms for membership as means of further educating on the issues.

• Provide suggestion and guidance for membership as to how to add disability inclusive language within athletics policies.

NCAA Student-Athletes with Disabilities Subcommittee - Current Priorities

• Further development of a larger communication plan to the NCAA membership on updates, key issues and expectations regarding serving student-athletes with disabilities.

• Add ad hoc subcommittee members.• Feature the inclusion of student-athletes with disabilities across NCAA

mediums (e.g., “Membership Perspective” section of NCAA Champion Magazine).

• Further assessment of communication accessibility to ensure effective access to information is available for all within the membership (e.g., closed captioning and interpretation services).

Questions/Comments