THE DISABILITY EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE ADVOCATING FOR STUDENT ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES Presented by Dan McCoy

Introduction  Daniel McCoy  Sophomore at University of Pittsburgh  Native of Pittsburgh  Graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School I am here today to advocated for student athletes with disabilities.

Disabled Since Birth  I am a person with disabilities  My disabilities are:  Spina Bifida  Arnold Chiari Syndrome Type I  Hydrocephalus

 From an early age, I participated in adaptive and non-adaptive team sports  Basketball  Flag Football  Karate  Lacrosse  T-Ball  I have also participated in these activities:  Snow Skiing  Biking  Rowing Always Active

I Am An Athlete  By middle school, I realized that competition trumps inclusion in sports  Still wanted to compete  Focused on Sled Hockey  The Mighty Penguins  Began competing in US and Canada when I was 8

Setting a BIG Goal  “I want to play sled hockey in the Paralympics!”  USA won GOLD in 2002  Team USA jersey  With support from family and coaches  …and hard work  Selected to the US Jr National Sled Hockey Team at age 14  Selected to the USA Men’s National Sled Hockey Team at age 16

The NCAA and Student Athletes  NCAA offers tremendous and well-deserved support for student athletes  These athletes attend college and participate in NCAA recognized sports  They have the potential to receive financial support  Athletic Scholarships for Div I and II  Academic Scholarships for Div III  Academic via tutoring  As of September 2012, there are over 450,000 student athletes in the NCAA

Student Athletes with Disabilities  Student athletes with cognitive and/or physical disabilities exist in the university setting!  Many student athletes with disabilities have been training just as long and just as hard as their non-disabled peers  Many are participating in IPC recognized sports both nationally and internationally  Many have been accepted to NCAA recognized universities and colleges  Yet, we are not afforded the same benefits as NCAA student athletes (without disabilities)

Why Is This Important to Me? Sports CAN open doors but … an education WILL KEEP the doors open  Participation in sports helps develop an individual’s character  Learning how to handle winning and losing develops who you become off the ice/field  Sled Hockey taught me how to handle success and failure  Given me the ability to believe I can set a goal and achieve it Sled hockey has helped me become the person I am today but… …being both a college student and an athlete has been tough

Balancing Academics and Competition Freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh was a challenge  I had a full course load and was a member of the US Men’s National Sled Hockey team  Was traveling once a month to 5 day training camps  Was traveling to competitions  Calgary  North Carolina  South Korea  An honor student in high school, I found myself struggling to maintain average grades

Seeking Support Disability Services supported me in disability-related issues  Navigating the campus in a wheelchair  Room and board  Test scheduling Had to advocate for myself with National team travel commitments and missed classes/work  Professors were understanding to a point  Weren’t required to be  Played catch-up both semesters  Returned from international competition to take finals

Contrasting Support Most NCAA Student Athletes have a built in academic support structure  Academic needs are addressed in order to ensure eligibility  Tutors are provided  Schedules are balanced against competition NCAA Student Athletes advocate for self (with a backup system)

Advocating If the NCAA recognized adaptive sports, universities and colleges would more easily embrace students athletes with disabilities  Currently two dozen universities and colleges recognize a few adaptive sports as part of their athletic programs  University of New Hampshire  Edinboro University  University of Pittsburgh is currently not on the list

The Paralympics I was recently selected to the 2014 US Paralympic Sled Hockey Team  We will be competing in Sochi Russia March 7-16, 2014  We will be defending our GOLD medal from the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver  Part-time this semester to focus on training

Proud to be at PITT! Very honored to be attending the University of Pittsburgh  I want to succeed in both academics and sports  I want to graduate from Pitt! And, I know the University of Pittsburgh will lead in advocating for student athletes with disabilities!