[nfbmi-talk] but....

[Terry Eagle]

Seems to highlight continued discrimination of the blind by closed-minded
bureaucrats who believe they, as sighted and non-blind blind persons, must
protect the poor helpless blind from ourselves.  (as they view the blind). .
That is their accepted legal rational basis reason for such discrimination.
I am waiting for the day when the media makes a big deal out of a blind
homeowner protecting him/herself and his/her family by accurately shooting a
crazed intruder.  I can hear it now:  Blind Homeowner Takes Down Intruder
with One Shot from Gun.  

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of joe
harcz Comcast
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 12:34 PM
To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] but....

Oh but adult students couldn't have a markmanship program at the so-called
training center for the blind! Michigan's infamy lives on!
Students with disabilities must have equal sports options, U.S. tells
schools By Philip Elliott Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Breaking new
ground, the

U.S. Education Department is telling schools they must include students with
disabilities in sports programs or provide equal alternative options. The

directive, reminiscent of the Title IX expansion of athletic opportunities
for women, could bring sweeping changes to school budgets and locker rooms
for

years to come. Schools would be required to make "reasonable modifications"
for students with disabilities or create parallel athletic programs that
have

comparable standing to mainstream programs. Sports can provide invaluable
lessons in discipline, selflessness, passion and courage, and this guidance
will

help schools ensure that students with disabilities have an equal
opportunity to benefit from the life lessons they can learn on the playing
field or on

the court," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement announcing
the new guidance Thursday. Federal laws, including the 1973 Rehabilitation
Act

and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, require states to
provide a free public education to all students and bans schools that
receive federal

funds from discriminating against students with disabilities. Going further,
the new directive from the Education Department's civil rights division
explicitly

tells schools and colleges that access to interscholastic, intramural and
intercollegiate athletics is a right. This is a landmark moment for students

with disabilities. This will do for students with disabilities what Title IX
did for women," said Terri Lakowski, who led a coalition pushing for the
changes

for a decade. This is a huge victory. Education Department officials
emphasized they did not intend to change sports' traditions dramatically or
guarantee

students with disabilities a spot on competitive teams. Instead, they
insisted schools cannot exclude students based on their disabilities if they
can

keep up with their classmates. It's not about changing the nature of the
game or the athletic activity," said Seth Galanter, the acting assistant
secretary

for civil rights at the Education Department. It's not clear whether the new
guidelines will spark a sudden uptick in sports participation. There was a

big increase in female participation in sports after Title IX guidance
instructed schools to treat female athletics on par with male teams. There
is no

deadline for schools to comply with the new disabilities directive. But
activists cheered the changes. This is historic," said Bev Vaughn, the
executive

director of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, a nonprofit
group that works with schools to set up sports programs for students with

disabilities. It's going to open up a whole new door of opportunity to our
nation's schoolchildren with disabilities. 

 

 
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