Is the cart being placed before the horse? - The USDAF Sports Initiative.

In early September of this year, G. Andrew Fleming, former President and CEO of the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee (APOC), now the President of the United States Disabled Athletes Fund (USDAF), announced his organization's initiative in starting a comprehensive statewide program for students with disabilities in Georgia. In doing so, Fleming indicated that it had been APOC's mission to not only stage a successful Paralympic Games, but to leave a legacy (in the United States) for the Paralympic Movement.

"Today, we are announcing the first of many legacy programs that will significantly improve opportunities for young people with physical disabilities to experience the benefits of participation in organized sports." Fleming went on to say that "A major goal of the USDAF is to significantly close the huge gap that currently exists in sports for young people with disabilities compared to their able-bodied peers and thereby make Georgia a national leader in this area. Simply put, our goal is to give kids with disabilities the same kind of sports opportunities that are widely available to able-bodied kids. Currently 90% of school-aged kids with physical disabilities receive no instruction in physical education. We want to change that."

In 1997 the USDAF received a $500,000 grant from the state of Georgia for the express purpose of producing sports programs for youths and young adults with physical disabilities. According to Fleming, under this grant USDAF will be operating a series of sports programs for youths, eventually under the aegis of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP); training physical educators, health, and recreation professionals in adapted athletics; establishing training camps and sports clinics; and, funding, out of proceeds from the Paralympic Games, an intercollegiate sports program for college athletes with disabilities at Georgia State University.

The core of the USDAF initiative lies in the inception of a Youth Disability Sports Program (YDSP). The program is designed to provide sports training for school-age youths with physical disabilities, as well as to train professionals to better serve as coaches for the school-based program. YDSP is based upon an after-school sports program developed by AAASP, a little known group initially based with sports for those with cerebral palsy. AAASP will certify coaches and supply them with an infrastructure and support to initiate adapted athletic programs in their own communities. One-day workshops/clinics in wheelchair basketball, racing, and tennis, as will as standing volleyball will serve to demonstrate the viability of the USDAF initiative. Teams created through YDSP will eventually compete in soccer and basketball championships in the state, "marking the first time ever that school-based sports competitions for student athletes with disabilities have been held in the United States."

So, why should a red flag or at least a cautionary yellow flag arise in the mind of this editor? Certainly, USDAF should be lauded at landing a $500,000 state grant from Georgia to fund its YDSP program ($350,000). Likewise, the establishment of an intercollegiate athletic program ($150,000) at Georgia State University for athletes with disabilities, especially in an era of dwindling financial resources for athletics at most major colleges and universities, should prove to be a boon to that university. Perhaps it is because it sounds like USDAF is charting new territory and not reinventing the wheel; perhaps it stems from a concern for where all of this good work is headed in the future; or perhaps it lies in premises underlying the structure which are not actually true--an explanation is warranted.

USDAF says its program stems from the fact that "90% of school age kids with physical disabilities receive no instruction in physical education." In point of fact, PL 94 -142 (now PL 101-476) has, since 1975, stipulated physical education as a direct service under special education for students with disabilities 3 - 21 years of age (see Palaestra, 13 (1), 5, 10). A student receiving special education must be determined eligible for regular physical education, adapted physical education, or some combination of both. Thus, the student becomes physically educated within the least of the least restrictive environments, the regular physical education curricula, or somewhere else in physical education along a continuum of service locations where he/she may optimally learn and progress in physical development. This is the law, and if it is not being observed in the state of Georgia, then USDAF would be well advised to spend its grant monies on educating state legislators, public school administrators, existing teachers, and parents of the rights afforded students with disabilities to have an appropriate physical education experience. In the final analysis, physical education should be the bedrock for extracurricular sports programs in the public schools--not the other way around.

As for creating a competitive sports training and competition model, one aimed at "marking the first time ever that a school-based disabled sports competition will have been held in the United States," this editor would like to draw USDAF's attention to the very successful approach enjoyed for years by student athletes with disabilities in the state of Minnesota--Minnesota Association for Adapted Athletics established in 1975 (see Palaestra, 5 (1), 32 - 34, 60 - 61; and, Issues, Palaestra, 11 (1) (64). In fact, the program was so successful, on November, 19, 1992, 17 years after its initial beginning, the 90-member Board of Directors of the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) unanimously voted to fully sanction high school athletics for students with disabilities. Formal competition under MSHSL's auspices started during the fall of the 1993-94 academic year with 42 schools participating. It is interesting to further note that IOwa, Louisiana, and New Jersey have likewise created new divisions within their respective state associations. Robert Kanaby, Executive Director of the National Federal of State High School Associations has confirmed that its various sport committees were asked to review the implications of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (PL 93-112) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (PL 101-336) in an effort to establish standards enabling state athletic associations to conduct their business in an equitable fashion--obviously, the USDAF plan is not a first nationally, though it may certainly be so for Georgia.

Then, there is the matter of USDAF's after-school programs becoming recognized programs of AAASP to assure safety and quality through training and certification of coaches and recreation professionals in order to initiate the after-school programs in their respective communities. This seems to be a step in the right direction; however, who and what is the AAASP? What are its credentials to certify anyone? Certainly, USDAF is aware of the existence of the various coaching certification programs already in existence within some of the Group E members of the United States Olympic Committee--Disabled Sports, USA; United States Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association; Special Olympics International, to mention three.

Finally, one owners about the future of this ambitious program. After the initial seed money has been expended, will the legacy of the Paralympic Games be continued through more funding from USDAF or are the fledgling programs turned loose to fend for themselves? If the ultimate objective is the promotion of organic and neuromuscular development for students with disabilities in the public schools, then the infrastructure is already in place. The public schools have established physical education programs, trained personnel, and have a federal mandate to provide for students with disabilities in physical education at some point on a continuum of placement services where the student may optimally learn. Adapted intramurals and athletic programs should begin with quality physical education programs and work upwards to after school extra curricular programs and competition, not emanating from after-school sports programs downwards to physical education...perhaps USDAF is placing the cart before the horse...what do you think?