Just a little OT -- but what if...

[tornado]

What if a young girl with a fairly severe handicap wants to play competitive basketball in the Special Olympics (a worldwide non-profit organization)....and in a spate of bad judgment the local school board partnered with Special Olympics so they and the taxpayers are embroiled in this lawsuit as well!!

Here's the catch...she is badly handicapped such that she needs a "service" dog and an oxygen tank at all times, even on the court while playing.

Should she be allowed to play on the same court as the rest of the fairly healthy, vigorously competing high schoolers??

Well...the school & Special Olympics said no - there was too much risk to her and others from the tank and the dog--- so the girl & her family, and their lawyers are slamming the school and taxpayers as well as Special Olympics with a the lawsuit demanding to play and asking damages for the insult to her in the process.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-specialolympics-l,0,6473363.story

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/youngwith-special-needs-basketball-100833914.html

[Da Coach]

Even normal kids must go through a physical exam and be pronounced physically fit to compete in sports, so there is no reason kids in the special olympics shouldn't, too.

[SFP]

Safety first for her and the other players and anything after should be a foot note. What are her parents trying to prove?

[jeffsu]

That you can always get something if you have the slightest reason to sue... especially when it can become sensationalized...