Disabilities and Possibilities

Add track and field to fall sports lineup at Northwest and Seneca Valley High Schools, thanks to an initiative that offers students with disabilities the chance to participate in varsity sports.

And more sports could be on the way. There are plans to offer bocce and softball later this school year, the schools’ athletic directors told Patch.

"So many studies show how extracurricular activities and athletics can help individuals become more well-rounded and help them academically, as well,” said Jesse Irvin, Seneca Valley’s athletic director. “It just creates such a positive opportunity for students who might not otherwise get the chance to play sports in high school."

Montgomery County Public Schools’ Unified sports program, whose formal name is the Corollary Sports Program, was created in response to the 2008 Fitness and Athletics Equity Act. The program offers three sports during the year: unified track and field in the fall; unified bocce ball in the winter; and allied softball in the spring.

All sports are co-ed.

William Beattie, director of countywide athletics for Montgomery County Public Schools, said the term "Unified" was a registered trademark of the Special Olympics. The school system partnered with the Special Olympics for the Corollary Sports Program and abides by the Special Olympics’ rules.

Beattie said more than 1,500 students with disabilities participated in interscholastic athletics in the county before this program was launched last school year.

His goal is to increase that participation.

Any county school can create Unified teams, but Beattie said some have had more success than others. He said 12 of the 25 schools in the county have coaches identified for the fall track programs.

Whether they all field teams, he said, remains to be seen.

Northwest athletic director Jim Tapley said his school was working hard to grow its Unified programs — both Northwest and Seneca Valley participated in softball last spring. The team schedules are based on which of the county schools have fielded teams.

Though 50 percent of the team must be comprised of students with mental or physical disabilities, participation doesn’t exclude students who don’t have disabilities. Irvin said unified sports is available to students who have never participated varsity or junior varsity sports in Montgomery County.

Beattie said that these sports are treated like "full-fledged varsity sports" and that athletes could earn varsity awards, be included in pep-rallies, appear in the school yearbook, and participate in awards ceremonies. 

"We're trying to create a legitimate opportunity so all students can experience what it means to be a full-fledged varsity athlete," Beattie said. "The bottom line is individuals who participate in interscholastic athletics become better students because of it and have a chance to learn things that you just don’t learn in the classroom. And this is an opportunity for them to get that positive experience that they might otherwise get."