Worthy Petition to Sign and Share

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A worthy petition...

 

I'm asking Michigan to join 23 other states in making an exception to their age limit rule for high school sports for kids with disabilities so that my son, , can play basketball.

Sign My Petitionkris -

My son loves being a basketball player. has Down syndrome, and playing basketball has kept him fit and given him confidence. When I go to his games, I spend a lot of time watching the crowd, because everybody, from our team's fans to the other team's, cheers for my son.

But like a lot of kids with Down syndrome, is old for his grade. He got a late start in school because of his disability, so even though he's only a high school junior, he's already 19, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association says that will have to sit out his senior season because he'll be too old to play.

I found out that 23 other states have exceptions to their age limit rules for kids with disabilities, so I filed a formal request for the MHSAA to change the rules to include the same exception here in Michigan. They said no -- twice.

But I'm not giving up on my son. I started a petition on Change.org asking the MHSAA to make an exception to its age limits for kids with disabilities. More than 7,000 people have signed already, will you please click here to add your name?

I'm not the only person who wants to keep playing. His coach says that watching excel on the court has been one of the top moments of his life. As for , he says the worst part of losing a year on the team wouldn't be missing basketball. He says he'd miss having his teammates in his life.

If thousands of people come together to support and other kids like him, I know the MHSAA will modify its rules. It was one thing for them to reject my request when it was just me asking, but if it's me and all of you, I'm certain it will be a lot harder for them to say no.

Click here to sign my petition asking the MHSAA to change its rules so that and other kids with disabilities can play sports -- even if they're a little older.

Thanks for helping my son.

- Dean