While I am all for equality on this subject as much as possible, an honest question I have is are there enough disabled athletes to fill a roster at all 300+ D1 schools, let alone the other divisions? 

How do you decide what sports will be sanctioned/offered?  

The optimist in me likes to think the braintrust behind all of this is considering this but I just don't know.  

It would be quite challenging/frustrating if schools invest in facilities/resources to provide these opportunities and there is not a demand for them. 

Again I ask these questions for discussions sake, not to discount the merit of equality.  I had a cousin who was wheelchair bound with mental retardation and my mother has worked her entire career in special ed. so it is certainly near to my heart. 

This won't affect intercollegiate athletics.


"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."

 "Generally, Lissner said, as colleges review their policies, the effects would more likely be felt in intramural and club sports programs on campus than intercollegiate ones, Lissner said. That's because relatively few people can meet the standards to compete in intercollegiate sports, and nothing in the guidance requires a change in such standards. But the purpose of intramural and club sports is broader, and colleges may have to do more to ensure students with disabilities aren't deprived of a chance to compete."

I can speak only for Ohio, which schools and tax structure I think I understand, when saying that schools and students are being pummeled by unfunded mandates.  All of them are well intended and no one with a caring heart would fight most of them - but there is a price.  You can't legislate programs into being and not expect it to be a financial burden.  Paying for public education is a zero sum game.  There is no new money, there is no revenue growth.  Somebody's going to pay.

Intercollegiate wrestling has always attracted athletes with disabilities.
I wrestled 2 blind wrestlers in college and one of the Division I National Champions a couple of years ago only had 1 leg.

N.J. has had similiar requirements for grammer and high schools for a few years.
According to an article in yesterday's paper,one school in this area  has a bowler who uses a wheelchair and several schools have deaf athletes on their teams.