White House: Sports Are a Civil Right - Schools Must Open Sports to Disabled

The Obama administration for the first time is telling school districts across the USA that they must give disabled students equal access to extracurricular sports, a move that advocates say has been years in the making.

In a letter to schools, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Seth Galanter of the Department of Education says schools should provide "reasonable modifications" to allow disabled students to participate - for instance, providing a deaf track athlete with a flashing light that goes off simultaneously with the starter pistol that others hear. 

• Read the full text of this story here. 
• Read additional coverage here . 
• Read the U.S. Department of Education press release. 
• Read the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Dear Colleague Letter clarifying schools' obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to provide extracurricular athletics opportunities for students with disabilities.