New WHYY Post: The Rights of Kids with Disabilities to Participate in School Sports Programs

My post today at WHYY's Newsworks examines the new guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Education's Office on Civil Rights regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in school sports programs. My take on the implications of these guidelines begins here:

The special education world is giddy this week with the release of new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. These guidelines reinforce the federal requirements that children and college students with disabilities have equal access to afterschool sports and activities.

The guidelines were issued in response to a 2010 report from the Government Accountability Office that found that students with disabilities participate in sports at a much lower rate than students without disabilities.

Pundits, advocates, and reporters jumped on the release. Time Magazine ran two separate articles. The reaction was ranged from exultant to condemnatory.

Read the rest here.