Inclusion Daily Express -- Athlete's Struggle For Inclusion Leads To State-wide Policy Change

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Athlete's Struggle For Inclusion Leads To State-wide Policy Change
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
December 12, 2007

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND--One student athlete's determination and persistence to be included and counted as part of her high school track team has led her state to recommend that all schools allow students with disabilities to try out for sports.

Maryland's Board of Education recommended Tuesday that districts develop new rules that would let students with disabilities to compete along with other students. The board also wants state law changed so that schools can form teams of students with disabilities when few turn out to participate.

The board's announcement was welcomed news for Tatyana McFadden, a Paralympic wheelchair champion who has been pushing for her right to compete for her school alongside runners and to be recognized as equal member of the team.

McFadden, who has spina bifida, sued the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association this past March, saying that their refusal to allow her to compete and earn points for her track team amounted to discrimination. The Atholton High School junior's attorneys claimed that the state had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination by organizations that receive federal funding.

McFadden won a silver medal in the 100-meter and a bronze medal in the 200-meter dash at the 2004 Paralympic World Games in Athens, Greece. Since her return, she and the Maryland Disability Law Center have been pushing for her right to compete alongside runners and be recognized as an equal member of her team.

Up until the most recent track and field season, the 18-year-old was only allowed to compete against other wheelchair athletes -- in entirely separate events -- which usually meant racing alone and racing against herself.

The Baltimore Sun noted that any changes in state law would require public input during forums that are expected to take place early next year.

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