Atholton senior and wheelchair athlete Tatyana McFadden has won races against some of the best competition in the world, but her most recent victory came away from the track.
McFadden?s testimony in front of the General Assembly was pivotal in it unanimously passing a bill that requires schools to provide disabled students with access to high school sports teams, either among themselves or with able-bodied students.
“This whole journey has been a little bit of a bumpy ride,” she said. “But at the end of the day, look what happened.”
The bill, which takes effect in July, is called “Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities.” Under the legislation, schools have three years to comply, and it will cost an estimated $2.8 million for schools to implement the program.
Starting this summer, local districts must submit their plans to the state?s education department. The education department is in charge of investigating complaints and can suspend teams or withhold money from school systems that fail to comply.
“It?s not just what it means for us, but lots of people,” Deborah McFadden, Tatyana?s mother, said. “It?s the equivalent to the beginning of Title IX. It?s a landmark legislation. Maryland is the first state to do it, and I believe others will follow.”
Tatyana McFadden, who was born with spina bifida, a congenital defect in the spinal column that left her paralyzed from the waist down, has had an outstanding career. She won a pair of gold medals at the U.S. Paralympic National Track & Field Championships in the 200-and 800-meter dashes last summer. McFadden also has succeeded on the international stage, winning a silver medal in the 100-meter dash and a bronze in the 200-meter dash at the 2004 Paralympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece.
But for McFadden, 18, who will accept an athletic scholarship to compete for either Alabama or Illinois next season, the win in Annapolis wasn?t about her ? it was about who comes after her.
“There will always be people opposed to it and comments make me sad, but I can?t focus on the negative,” she said. “I am trying to do a good thing and open doors for others and getting the bill passes is bigger than those comments because the bill will never be taken away and stay there forever.”
