Access & Equality: Athletes with Disabilities are People Too!
by Kenneth Brown
In February of 2006 a student
athlete with Autism from Rochester, Minnesota was given an opportunity
to play basketball with the varsity team of his high school at the
end of the team’s last home game
of the season. The student’s name is Jason Mcelwain. Jason has a passion
for basketball and served as the team’s student manager for several years.
Jason proceeded to score 20 points by making 6 three point shots in a row and
a two point shot after missing his first two attempts. The team, fans, and community
celebrated his accomplishments at the end of the game. His seeming unbelievable
accomplishments on the surface made the national news for weeks. He was given
tickets to our local professional basketball team’s home game (The Minnesota
Timberwolves). He is being pursued by more than twenty-five movie companies to
make a movie of his life, and the president of the United States took time to
visit Jason.
As an advocate for persons
with disabilities, I applaud Jason’s
accomplishments, his coach’s willingness to include him and
believe in his abilities, the athletic director for approval and
thinking outside the box, his parents for advocating for his inclusion,
his teammates for understanding, and the fans and community for acceptance.
I am thrilled that people were able to communicate effectively to
help Jason have one of his dreams come true. This event has shown
many with disabilities that may have given up their dream, they can
be included in mainstream sports or other activities. My hope is
that others recognize the difference they can make in a person’s
life through acceptance and understanding of the individual, not
stereotyping and discriminating against someone based on their possible
differences.
However, I am outraged
at the “Circus” that the media
and others have made of this one event. The media coverage made it
seem that Jason was a “disabled child” that we should
feel sorry for and pity his condition, and he was offered special
treatment to be included in mainstream sports. Jason is a child with
a “disability” that has learned to face his challenges
head on and works to overcome and adapt to his disability.
In further research
we have found that the basketball coach had previously arranged
with the other coach of the team’s opponent
for the last game to have Jason play near the end of the game. It
has never been reported that Jason ran cross-country track and lettered
for three years, ran on the track team and lettered for two years,
serves on his school’s senior class council, and has a part-time
job. Jason simply is a student like every other student that uses
the “abilities” he has to do the best he can with the
talents he has. The question arises that if Jason did not have Autism,
would this have been a national news event? If Jason had been an
able-bodied student manager would the coach have given him the same
opportunity? If Jason did not live in a predominantly European American
community, and attend a predominantly European American high school
would this event be deserving of a visit from the president of the
United States of America? Athletes and students of all ages, cultures,
and “abilities” exceed expectations on a daily basis,
but are not making the national news.
In our rich world today,
we continue to live in separate communities. It is great that Jason’s
family, friends, school, and community can celebrate Jason’s
accomplishments, and that Jason could receive the attention he
earned. It is apparent that Jason, his basketball coach, other
coaches, teachers, and family have been able to successfully advocate
for Jason’s inclusion in mainstream sports and other
activities. We have laws that are in place to level the field at
all levels, but it takes people to apply the laws and treat others
with the human kindness, respect, and honor that we all deserve.
It is blatantly apparent to me that the European American culture
uses the laws, systems, and human kindness to be inclusive. The African
American and other minority cultures for many reasons do not apply
and use the laws and systems established to level the field and assist
with inclusion to our every lives. In my culture, it has much to
do with the oppression of slavery; being self reliant; family oriented;
and neighborhood minded. When I grew up I had a strong family structure
and community base. Both of my parents lived in our home. In my culture
the basic woman’s role in the family unit was to nurture and
protect. The male role was to provide as well as protect. Today with
the family unit more times than not being single parent households,
the woman’s
role is expanded, and the male is non-existent. Nurturing and protecting
takes center stage, therefore advocacy, trust of systems, learning
and applying laws outside of basic civil rights and humankind are
not a priority. The systems that have been set up to help have in
many cases been a hindrance. One reason is the people working within
the system do not resemble me. Many of them may have a disability,
but not many if any are African American.
When anyone seeks assistance
from any organization, it is easier to believe that organization
has this person’s best interest
at heart if the organization has people that resemble them in the
organization. These people need to be able to be seen and available
to communicate with if needed. In most disability organizations that
I have visited, the entire staff that could be seen upon entering
was European American. At times I have felt odd, but understanding
these situations did not affect me in a negative way. Bear in mind
that someone with a different outlook may have been negatively affected
by this and not applied the tools of the organization to their advantage.
Trust is one of the huge issues when applying laws and using systems
to level the field when persons have disabilities and are persons
of color.
In most cases when a
disability concern has been placed on center stage by the media,
the person affected has been European American. The media seems
to spin or focus on what they consider the pity part of the concern
or the seeming extraordinary aspect of the event. As a person with
a disability, I do not want pity, nor do I consider the things
I do on a daily basis and have been doing for forty-seven years
just as others with disabilities have to be extraordinary. People
with disabilities are people too. Others may consider our every
day accomplishments as extraordinary events, but our lives are
just as ordinary on a daily basis as theirs is. The one thing to
remember is: We all have “abilities” that should be
recognized, honored, and celebrated everyday.
