April 15, 2011, ATLANTA, GA — Beginning in 2011, Kentucky's students with qualifying physical disabilities will have an opportunity to participate in KHSAA track and field events. In November, The KHSAA Board of Control approved the addition of two events, the 100-meter wheelchair race and the shot put. Both will be sanctioned track and field exhibition events at the meets for the 2010-11 spring track and field season.

The KHSAA has joined the membership and adopted the guidelines of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP), joining Georgia and Florida. As in these states, the KHSAA and AAASP will work together to implement the new events. The award-winning model developed by AAASP has a foundation in Paralympic sports, but rules and guidelines have been adapted for these student-athletes based on their functional ability.

Physically disabled students with interest or experience in wheelchair track or shot put, are encouraged to participate in the regular season with scores reported to AAASP. Students who qualify for the two events at the state level will be featured at the 2011 KHSAA State Track and Field Meet at Owsley Frazier Park in Louisville. The KHSAA will conduct the events and deliver medals to the winners, but team points will not be scored for any school through those events while in the exhibition phase of development.

If there is sufficient interest in the program, more events could be added in the future, with the ultimate hope of a championship for the newly implemented adapted divisions. A benefit of the partnership with the AAASP is training assistance for coaches and officials, as well as information on how to implement and grow the sport for a new segment of student-athletes.

"We utilize a lot of resources in support of our position that participation in sports is a tremendous asset to the high school aged student. I am glad we will be able to start offering opportunities for those students with physical disabilities and evaluate it for future expansion," said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. "Other states with much larger population bases have been able to successfully add programs and with the help of AAASP, we hope to be able to gauge the level of interest in more opportunities and our ability to accommodate that interest, both from a financial and operational standpoint. We are excited about the chance to partner to help more of Kentucky's youth." "We commend the KHSAA for their proactive approach in adding wheelchair track and field for student athletes with physical disabilities and welcome them to our growing membership," states Bev Vaughn, AAASP Executive Director. "The KHSAA along with the GHSA and the FHSAA are at the forefront of a national movement in providing standardized adapted sports for this underserved population. AAASP is committed to providing support and assistance to the KHSAA to ensure that all students have equitable athletic opportunities as their non-disabled peers do."

About AAASP
AAASP works in partnership with education agencies in the U.S. to establish policies, procedures and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities to enhance educational outcomes. AAASP is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Resources for parents, schools and the media can be found at www.adaptedsports.org. Contact for media: Tommie Storms, Cofounder and Director of Finance and Policy 404-294-0070 or tstorms@adaptedsports.org

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association The Kentucky
High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501 3(c) organization made up of 278 member schools both public and private. The KHSAA sanctions state championships in 19 sports, licenses and trains over 4,100 officials, provides catastrophic insurance for its member school student athletes as well as overseeing coaching education and medical symposium programs.