Learning Disabled Have Eligibility Avenues

Can an athlete with a learning disability such as Tony Walker’s go straight to a Division I program and be eligible as a freshman?

“Yes,” said Kathryn Reith, the NCAA’s director of public information. Reith has written an informational brochure designed for athletes with learning disabilities.

Yet Tennessee, Notre Dame, USC and any of the other schools hotly pursuing Walker shouldn’t get excited too soon. The hurdles are many.

Learning disabled athletes get a break taking the SAT or ACT. They must attain a qualifying score, but the test is not timed. “You still have to know the information,” Reith said.

Also, the high school principal can certify that special-education classes taken by the athlete have the same quantity and quality of information as the core classes required for Division I eligibility.

“Even if the athlete still doesn’t meet NCAA standards, there is the possibility of getting a waiver,” Reith said. “Often, with students who don’t meet the exact letter of eligibility standards, the waiver committee can say that because of your learning disability you are eligible.”

Reith cautioned that athletes ought to apply to a college with a strong program in treating their particular disability. In Walker’s case, it is auditory processing.

The last route directly to a Division I school is as what the NCAA terms a “nonqualifier.”

Athletes get only need-based financial aid and cannot attend practices for one year. If they meet NCAA continuing eligibility standards, they can receive an athletic scholarship and join the team, although they would have only three years of eligibility remaining.

“The idea is to get grades up to snuff and prove you can do college work,” Reith said.

Junior college is the most well-traveled route for athletes who don’t meet Division I standards. Transfer requirements have tightened, however. In addition to a grade-point average of 2.0 and two years of transferable units, the work must advance the student toward a degree in a specified major.

“It can’t be a mish-mash of units,” Reith said. “But again, with students with a learning disability, there are waivers.”