Disability Restraint?

Question

How come people with certain disabilitys cannot compete in extracurricular activites my high school offers to my student body? Where is this rule written?

Answer 1

MissBehavior gave an excellent answer--so I'll only give minor clarification.  IDEA would apply to a student with a disability who is in special education.  Otherwise, in the school context, the federal law that is applied to address exclusion of students with disabilities from things like extracurriclar activies is "Section 504."  It applies even if the student has a disability but is not in special education.  If a student with a disablity needs reasonable accommodations to participate in those activities, then the school district would be required to provide them.

Answer 2

That would be totally against the law. There are two federal laws that require equal access for persons with disabilities. They are: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which requires that facilities have equal access to all and The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) which requires equal access to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. There are times when students are too physically or mentally disabled and become a danger to themselves or others and this is the only thing that would preclude them from participating.

If you are really interested in these topics, go to the Wright's Law website which has all the information you need on special education law. If you have a friend who is being denied his or her rights, ask their parents to file a complaint with the state Department of Education.

Answer 3

the student can only be excluded if the activity is a risk (real, not illogical) even with accommodations

for instance-a person with brittle bone disease cannot play football--they wouldn't pass the physical anyway--but they cannot be excluded from non contact activities like drama club