Photo by Cassidy Gerdts

Increasingly, students with disabilities are finding that participation in sports or activities does not have the obstacles it once did. State athletic/activity associations and schools are constantly working, at the direction of the Office of Civil Rights, to make accomodations for such students.

This example from Iowa of a cross country runner that runs with the use of a guide dog, is a good example of how a family and school/state association can work together and include students with disabilities.

From Runner's World.

He’s new to the sport, but Hugo, a 20-month-old German Shepherd, has quickly made a splash as the first service dog to run high school cross country in the state of Iowa. The dog accompanies Tyler Gerdts, a junior at Davenport West High School, during all of his daily activities. Cross country practice and meets are no exception.

Tyler has a brain injury combined with autism, which led his family to look into getting a service dog to improve his quality of life. The Gerdts family welcomed Hugo to their home in April, but acquiring him was a multiyear process, which included fundraising and training for both Hugo and the family.

Read more.