Accessible athletics
From Service Dog Training
My views on the current availability of accessible athletics and their exclusionary policies towards people with a lower level of disability.
First let me state that I greatly admire the work done by disabled sports associations. I agree that is is very important to have athletic opportunities that are available to people with disabilities. The main problem I have is that for the most part, they are only accessible to a few people with very specific levels of disability and exclude all others.
The level of physical disability required by most disabled sports associations is a disability that is equivalent to a below the knee amputation. This includes amputees of course, as well as anyone that lacks functional use of one or both legs below the knee. Great right? For those that meet that definition it is. However, this definition of disabled excludes the majority of people with physical disabilities. Take for example a young people who have severe arthritis in their knees, hips or back. Are they disabled? Yes, most certainly. Do they use a wheelchair? Sometimes, but not always. Can they participate in traditional athletics? Almost always no. However, because they technically have complete use of their legs, they cannot participate in the majority of accessible athletic programs.
Consider for a moment this situation. A below the knee amputee that uses a prosthetic can often participate on an equal standing with able bodied athletes, yet they also have accessible athletics open to them. On the other hand are those who are not paralyzed or amputees and may be able to walk without assistance the majority of the time who because of their disability cannot participate on an equal standing with their able bodied peers. These people have neither accessible nor traditional athletic programs available to them. The number of people with disabilities that do not equate to a below the knee amputation is likely greater than the number of those that meet the accepted level of disability for accessible athletics. Consider the number of people with disabilities related to lupus, fibromyalgia, varying forms of arthritis, cerebral palsy and a wide variety of other disabilities. These people have traditionally been ignored and excluded not only from the traditional sports associations but also tragically from those organizations that state a goal of making athletics accessible to the disabled.
I would propose that accessible sports organizations examine their reasons for defining disability as the equivalent of a below the knee amputation. There is no logical basis for this criteria to be the guideline or the standard for disability. These organizations should open their doors to any disabled person who wishes and is able to participate in a sport. While accessible sports organizations claim to provide opportunities for people with disabilities, what they do is provide opportunities for a very small subset of people with disabilities while actively excluding the rest. Until sports are available to all who wish to participate, there will be no truly accessible athletic program.
