The U.S. Department of Education ruled Friday that students with disabilities must be given the same opportunities as traditional students. But several schools in the Wichita area opened the door for disabled students several years ago.
Many athletes participate in the Tri-county high school special basketball league. It gives students with developmental disabilities a chance to play a normal sport.
"They're just like any other kids," said Jennifer Cole, mother.
Tyler Crayton is one of dozens of students taking advantage of the program. He's played on Derby's team for four years. For Tyler, it is more than just a game.
"I {get to} see my friends," he said.
More than 800 students showed up to cheer on the teams last week.
"It's really, truly inclusion in the schools," said Kevin Rush, ARC of Sedgwick County. "The extracurricular activities are just the next step that really needed to happen."
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(AP) — The Education Department says students with disabilities must be given a fair shot to play on a traditional sports team or have their own leagues.
That message was being delivered to the nation's schools on Friday. The order is reminiscent of the Title IX expansion four decades ago of athletic opportunities for girls and women and could bring sweeping changes to school budgets and locker rooms for years to come.
Students with disabilities who want to play for their school could join traditional teams if officials could make "reasonable modifications" to accommodate them.
But if those adjustments would fundamentally alter a sport or give the student an advantage, the department is directing the school to create parallel athletic programs that have comparable standing to mainstream programs.
