In the news, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Disability Scoop...
PRE-SCHOOL DISCRIMINATION
A Moorestown, N.J. preschool is facing allegations that it unlawfully expelled a 3-year-old girl with Down syndrome because she was not potty-trained, according to a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Attorney General's office.
The lawsuit alleges that Chesterbrook Academy- part of the national preschool chain- Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.- expelled the child, but not others at the school who were not fully potty-trained. According to the lawsuit, Chesterbrook advanced the young girl to an intermediate class, even though she was not yet toilet trained, then did not provide a reasonable accommodation for the girl's disability as required by law.
According to the girl's doctor, the child likely would not have been fully potty-trained until she was 5 or older, because she was developmentally delayed due to Down syndrome.
Chesterbrook, the suit alleges, made allowances for other intermediate students without disabilities who were permitted to remain in the program even though they too needed assistance related to toilet training.
The state's complaint also includes references of prior accusations of similar conduct regarding children with disabilities at other Chesterbrook Academy facilities in New Jersey, and across the country, over the past decade.
A 2006 settlement of a case required training for Chesterbrook staff on disability discrimination. In that case, the school was accused of refusing to accept a student with spina bifida. A 2009 lawsuit was also filed against the agency for excluding children with disabilities from programs in 15 states, including New Jersey.
The suit was settled in time with Nobel learning Communities agreeing to implement a disability non-discrimination policy, implement a policy to address reasonable modification requests, appoint a disability compliance officer and arrange for staff training.
"This case is particularly troubling because Chesterbrook and its parent company have faced similar allegations in the past despite holding themselves out as the "gold standard for ADA classroom compliance,"said the New Jersey attorney general's office."
"Given their past assurances to comply with the law and to train their staff on the governing legal standards for dealing with young children with disabilities, we expected better- more compliance, more sensitivity and less intractability- when responding to the needs of a 3-year-old girl with Down syndrome."
SPECIAL OLYMPICS ON TV
Thousands of athletes with disabilities from around the world will be featured on national television when they come together to compete next year.
ABC and ESPN said they will broadcast portions of the week-long Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria in March.
The opening ceremony on March 28 will air on ABC followed by coverage from the games the following day.
In addition, ESPN2 will feature highlights and interviews from the games each night of competition and segments will air on SportsCenter and other ESPN shows during the week. The network said the games will also be highlighted through ESPN's website and apps.
Beyond the United States, ESPN said the games will be available in at least 190 countries and territories through its TV and streaming offerings.
The arrangement with ESPN will mark the first time that the Special Olympics World Winter Games will be broadcast and it comes following the network's significant coverage of the summer games in Los Angeles last year.
Special Olympics World Games are held every two years, alternating between winter and summer. The upcoming games in Austria are expected to draw over 2,600 athletes and coaches from 206 countries.
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