Atholton High School in Columbia, Md., is one of the few schools in the country that can boast of having a world-class athlete in its halls. Sophomore Tatyana McFadden won silver and bronze medals in the 2004 Paralympic Summer Games.

However, it took a judge's order for her to compete alongside her teammates on the Atholton girls' track and field team. McFadden, who is paralyzed from the waist down, brought suit against Howard County Public Schools rules that required wheelchair athletes to compete only in events with other wheelchair athletes. Her suit did not ask for her results to be scored, just that she be allowed to run at the same time as her teammates. In April, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction allowing her to compete on the track at the same time as able-bodied runners based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The school district had argued that McFadden was not competing in the same sport as her opponents. McFadden claimed that she was being illegally discriminated against because of her disability and that it was "embarrassing" to compete by herself, since no other wheelchair athletes have appeared at her team's meets.

"I wanted to have the same high school experience as everyone else, and I wanted to get the feel for competition," McFadden told The Associated Press after her first race of the season. "This was really important to me, and I wanted everyone to see how I ran and how hard I worked to get here."

McFadden's case raises a question that many state associations and individual schools have recently struggled with: Should wheelchair athletes be allowed to compete in high school track and field? There is no easy answer, and even supporters of competitive opportunities for wheelchair athletes often disagree about how best to accommodate their needs and desires.

Louisiana and Oregon are two states that have taken different approaches. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association includes wheelchair events in its meets. Disabled athletes can earn points for their teams, but compete only in wheelchair events. The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), on the other hand, allows wheelchair track athletes to compete alongside able-bodied runners at all meets except the state championships, but they cannot score points.

"There's debate within the disabled sports community about the best approach, just as there is among athletic directors," says Kevin Hansen, President of World Wheelchair Sports. "The important thing is that we keep the discussion open."

Ian Jaquiss, Executive Director of Oregon Disability Sports, would like to see more states follow Louisiana's lead. In answer to the argument that there are not enough wheelchair athletes to make this feasible, Jaquiss says, if you build it, they will come. "It's not that there are only a handful of kids out there capable of competing in wheelchair events—there are too many kids not doing anything," he says. "And if you let them score, it will be in the school's best interest to get every kid who's capable out there competing."

While some competitive equity issues remain unresolved, safety concerns may be more easily answered. "If the athlete can follow instructions, is strong enough to push a wheelchair, and has enough motor skills to stay in their lane, it's not something to be afraid of," Hansen says. "And you're going to be able to give this kid an incredible experience."

The OSAA has established specific protocols for its members to follow when integrating wheelchair track athletes. For example, in 100-meter races, OSAA guidelines place wheelchair competitors in the outermost lanes, typically lanes 1 and 8, and they must stay in their own lane, just like able-bodied runners. In races exceeding 400 meters, wheelchair athletes use a staggered start and must stay outside of lane 3 the entire race.

Hansen says athletic directors also need to consider transportation. "It's very important to get the kids on the bus because it will broaden everyone's understanding. Also, part of the experience is singing the goofy songs and talking about who's taking who to the prom," he says. "Sometimes if there aren't wheelchair-accessible buses, after talking with the school district's insurance agent, we have gotten two of the weight-throw guys to help lift the wheelchair athlete onto the bus."

Then there's the issue of equipment, since most wheelchair racers use specially designed racing chairs that can cost $1,000 or more. "We've corralled a whole bunch of used equipment and run an equipment loan program for any kid in Oregon who wants to compete on their high school track team," Hansen says. "There are also wheelchair sport organizations in almost every state and often times they are a good avenue for equipment. If worse comes to worst, call me, and I will help find equipment."

For athletic directors wondering the up-front work is worth the rewards, Jaquiss says, "It's been my experience that once an athletic director takes those steps to include a person with a disability, they see great benefits, both for the athlete who now competes and for able-bodied athletes who now have a new teammate with a different perspective on life."

To receive a handbook on working with wheelchair athletes, contact Kevin Hansen at: wwscoach@efn.org or (541) 485-1860.

The World Wheelchair Sports Web site can be found at: www.efn.org/~wwscoach/.

The USA Track & Field rule book includes a section on adaptations for athletes with disabilities that can be downloaded from the USATF Web site at: www.usatf.org/about/rules/2006/.