Pros & Cons of Inclusion

Inclusion is the Only Way:

Sports are a way for some to release stress, others to feel apart of something and important, but for all to make a difference in their own way. Everyone is different. We are all individuals and have our own strengths and flaws. I believe we all take away a little part of each other or learn a lesson through the bonds we form everyday. Well that’s what I believe needs to be upheld. Kids with disabilities have enough separations as it is. They have separate learning environments and even a separate place for sports, Special Olympics. From first hand experience and the stories of many kids with disabilities, it is important for them to be included. High school sports need to make a place and take a stand against this separation. Unified sports need and deserve a place in high school sports. The kids need to be able to experience the feeling of being supported by your high school or winning a game on a home court. High school sports are a chance for teams to excel in many aspects. Kids with disabilities should not only be included, but also encouraged to play on the newly formed unified teams. The separation needs to end and including the unified teams as an official high school sport is a must. Allowing kids with disabilities to play on the unified teams in high school sports teams will increase their morale and spirits, make them stronger physically and mentally, but also break down the separation barriers that have been there for far too long.

            Inclusion in sports makes not only the child with a disability feel better about themselves, but leaves an impact on the team also. A kid with a disability can score a goal or make their first basket and it could change their life. They have the opportunity to form relationships and friendships with their teammates, while cheering or even playing in the game. Zachary, a football player with autism, scored his first touchdown ever. Zachary’s mom is so thankful for “giving my son one of the best memories if not the best memory of his young life” (“This” 2013).  Zachary’s mom also went on and added, “although [Zach] has never been a great player but always has made up for it in excitement, never give up attitude, and determination to do everything all the other boys are doing” (“This” 2013).  This situation is one of many examples of how including kids with disabilities is the only option. They have the spirit and the desire to fit it and be apart of the team. The team will be impacted just as much, if not more then the kid with disability fighting to just wear the jersey.

            Many kids with disabilities may physically be incapable of doing certain things. That should not stop them from trying and finding another way to do it. Donna Amis, a special education teacher that has been working with kids with disabilities and Special Olympics for over a decade talked about the skeptics and people who doubt the skills the kids hold. She said, “I would say where there’s a will there’s a way and just seeing my children play will change any persons doubts or judgments” (Amis 2013). With a unified team, regular athletes can team up with their partners and accomplish a number of tasks. Also, physical aspects are not the only factor in sports. Many sports involve a positive attitude and mental strength. The school involvement and spirit, as a whole, will sky rocket with unified teams. The support from the student body will help the unified team over any hurdle they might face. The team atmosphere and mentality drives the fans to cheer them on. The constant exercise from practice and warming up in games would be plenty of exercise for any kid, especially one with a physical or mental disability. Imagine what a difference being apart of practice and getting treated like every other athlete could do for a kid with a disability’s attitude. Mentally, high school students with a disability are separated in the classroom from average high school students. The learning environments separate the students enough. Supporters of integrated learning environments say, “An integrated education allows special education students to feel less alienated from, and more a part of, the school community” (“Special”). The same concept should apply in high school sports. The idea of integrating and including kids of every type is what community should be all about. Creating unified teams could simply solve that problem. Any argument that kids with disabilities do not have the skills to participate in sporting events is wrong. Kids with disabilities can participate and are already members of teams such as track, basketball, and soccer. This is proven correct in “Special Education” where it is said that “Today, however, it is widely accepted that students with disabilities can perform many of the same tasks as their nondisabled counterparts, and can even function at a higher academic level than many of their nondisabled peers” (2007). Every child deserves the same opportunity in the classroom and on the playing field. This equal opportunity will not only make an impact on a child with disabilities physically, but mentally too. When you search a high schools’ sports website, you should be able to find unified sports teams just as easily as finding a varsity football team. Equality is the future and the idea that any physical aspect could hold a child back is absurd.

            Kids with disabilities in high school experience constant separation from the “regular” kids. They are educated in separate classrooms and have a separate environment to participate in sports. Separation barriers need to be broken down and inclusion needs to take place. The best place to start is integrating unified sports into the high school sports environment. By breaking down the barriers, it allows for the school community to come together and support the newly created unified teams.

           Sports are a way for everyone to feel important and get regular exercise. High school sports need to create funds and pave a way for unified teams to join together with existing varsity sports teams. Kids with disabilities will benefit both physically and emotionally. With the support from the student body, kids with disabilities would gain confidence and regularly exercise. Adding unified teams would help the student body and school spirit all together. Unified sports deserve a place in high school sports undoubtedly. 

Works Cited

Amis, Donna. Personal Interview. 5 Nov. 2013

"Special Education." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On

File News Services, 7 Sept. 2007. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

“This Might Look Like a Normal Photo. But When You Look A Little Closer, It’s Incredible.”

Viralnova. 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2013

Separate is Better:

           Sports are a way for some to release stress, others to feel apart of something and important, but for all to make a difference in their own way. Everyone is different. We are all individuals and have our own strengths and flaws. I believe we all take away a little part of each other or learn a lesson through the bonds we form everyday. Kids with disabilities have a chance to form bonds and play sports through the Special Olympics. Seth Galanter, acting assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights said, “Participation in extracurricular athletics can be a critical part of a student’s overall educational experience” (Lendon 2013). With the way things work now, Special Olympics allow for the kids to participate in sports and extracurricular activities.  They are partnered up with a peer mentor and can participate in many different sports. I believe the separation of normal high school sports and the Special Olympics is important to ensure the level of competition in high school sports stays high and fair. The many negatives with the unified teams consist of the lack of sports budget for schools already, liability with training the coaches, time and space available for practices, and the extra personnel to supervise the unified teams. Adding separate sports would cause for a more distinct separation. All the negatives that follow with the idea of having unified teams being added into high school sports is not worth a second thought. Keeping the Special Olympics separate from high school sports would keep the level of play in main varsity events high, not cause cost and liability problems for the school, and would not take away from the already limited space and time.  

            High school sports can be competitive, high adrenaline, and intense. Keeping kids with disabilities separated from this high intensity high school environment would keep any comparison from occurring. The kids with disabilities would not compare themselves to regular basketball players and would be the best in the Special Olympics games. The separation of the Special Olympics and high school sports is nothing but positive for both parties. School spirit already exists in high school sports so adding or changing the norm could unknowingly alter the atmosphere of the school. Positives cannot be found since the way the separate environments are functioning now are successful. Shane Sutherland has been competing in Special Olympics for two years and when asked what his favorite part of sports was he replied, “when I won my first gold medal bowling with Cody (his unified partner).” Ultimately, the separation allows for both teams to support one another but also excel at different levels.

            Another difficult aspect that would follow the inclusion of these unified teams is the need for special and specific training for both coaches and supervisors. Coaches would need to be aware of the many disabilities and what factors could trigger or hurt different disabilities. Classes and training sessions would be needed to qualify to coach the unified teams. The complex job of coaching kids with disabilities is another hit a sports budget would take in order to ensure the coach was fit for the job. Also, hiring coaches of the unified teams would cost more money from the budget and cuts would have to be made elsewhere to pay for the training sessions and coaches themselves.

            With varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen teams already fighting for practice and time and space adding unified teams in the mix would cause chaos. The stress of creating more time slots and spaces for practices or games would be put on the athletic director to ensure the unified teams received fair treatment. With the separation already in place, the need for time and space becomes irrelevant. So why create a problem if there is a solution already in place? When a rainy day comes around and you have to schedule all of the indoor sports in the gym along with adding time slots for the outdoor sports to have some practice time, on top of that adding time for the new unified teams. Time management would be impossible and juggling the time slots would be too much for anyone to handle. The addition of the unified teams would cause each high school team to lose practice times.

            Finally, a huge factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the need for supervising personnel. With the children with disabilities they would need constant supervision whether it is getting to practice or waiting for a bus afterwards. They need constant watching and assistance. Along with the supervisors for the team itself, each child could specifically need more attention than the other. Multiple trained supervisors would be needed to make the unified teams a success. All of these aspects cost money and take away from the already tight sports budgets in mostly all schools.

            In every problem factor that comes with the idea of adding unified teams into high school sports costs money. There are many negative factors that insist on why the separation of Special Olympics and high schools should stand. Yes, every child deserves the right to play sports and exercise daily. The separation already in place allows for both to happen. With Special Olympics, the kids with disabilities have practice times and competitions just as the high school sports do. The separation works now and would continue to positively work with no change. When talking about adding the unified teams negative factors overwhelm and outweigh the positive ones. Keeping the kids with disabilities separate from the high school sports teams is the right way to handle the situation. The children with disabilities still have an opportunity to participate in sports, even though it is not directly related to their high school sports teams. 

Works Cited

 Lendon, Brad. “Schools must provide sports for students with disabilities, U.S. ed department

Says.” Schools of Though Blogs. CNN. 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Nov 2013.

Sutherland, Shane. Personal Interview. 5 Nov. 2013