Photo Credit: Courtesy of Dawn Lewellyn, City of Clearwater
When you think of youth sports, what comes to mind--the kids in your programs or maybe your daughter or son playing a sport of choice? Do you ever think about children with Down syndrome, autism or other disabilities? Why not? Statistics show one in 91 children are diagnosed with autism. Children with disabilities are no longer sitting on the sidelines, watching their siblings participate; they are becoming active members of programs and communities.
As a member of a youth-sports organization or community entity, how are you preparing coaches and agencies to successfully meet the needs of current and future athletes?
For a youth-sports coach, including children with disabilities may be intimidating. Since most of these coaches are volunteers, typically they have not been exposed to children with disabilities, and may know little about them. Even paid coaches can be in this situation. This usually flips the fear-factor into effect, which means the coach does not know what to do or how to handle it. The biggest barrier oftentimes is attitude. A coach has the opportunity to change that, and provide for inclusion. Ironically, some programs are already doing this without knowing it.