After Olympics games, now the Paralympics

By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Two elite groups of American athletes came to the White House this week. One came to celebrate the ending of an international athlete contest, the other to celebrate the beginning of a new one. On Wednesday, the U.S. Olympic team attended a reception in its honor. The day before, athletes with disabilities from all over the country helped the President kick off the Paralympic torch relay. Though they missed each other by a day, the two groups of athletes have much in common to celebrate. For weeks, we've watched the Olympic athletes, especially the women, succeed at many competitions in Atlanta. Next week, we will marvel at the accomplishments of the American Paralympians. But few of us recognize that two pieces of federal legislation are in many ways responsible for enriching these performances.

Federal laws that ended the unfair exclusion of certain groups,

Title IX and the Americans With Disabilities Act, have made a world of difference, Just think of all the American women we applauded: Dot

Richardson, who hit a two-run homer for U.S gold in the first- ever Olympic softball tournament; the women's track-and-field relay teams who took gold; and the members of our gold-medal- winning women's basketball team.

Last Saturday, the President, Chelsea and I called the U.S women's soccer team to congratulate them on their gold medal.

Talking all at once through a speakerphone, they told us how thrilled -- and tired -- they were after the game. Their enthusiasm was infectious; and Chelsea, who played in a soccer league during much of her childhood, was especially excited to talk to them.

These women are just a few of those who could not have made it into the Olympics and our hearts if they had not had the opportunity to train on high school and college teams that were strengthened -- or even created -- after Title IX's passage in 1972.

That law requires all schools that receive federal funding to offer women students equal opportunities to participate in organized athletics. In other words, it required schools that offer men's sports to develop women's teams as well.

In 1972, just 295,000 girls competed in high school sports; 32,000 competed on the college level. The numbers have grown to about 2 million and 110,540 respectively. While the majority of these women will never see an Olympic medal, an All-American citation or even an athletic scholarship, they've had the opportunity to learn what their male classmates learned for years: teamwork, discipline and the sheer joy of athletic competition.

At its heart, Title IX isn't just about athletics. It's about giving every person in this country a change to fulfill his or her God-given potential. That's what the ADA is all about as well. Title IX and the ADA are landmarks in our country's continuing effort to make our society more just and more inclusive.

Where the Title IX opened gyms, playing fields and swimming pools to women, the ADA has helped millions of Americans gain greater access to town halls, workplaces, transportation systems and movie theaters.

And just as the Olympics showed the world what American women can do when given the opportunity to make the most of their abilities, next week's Paralympics will demonstrate what people with disabilities can accomplish when they, too, have a chance to fulfill their potential.

About 4,000 athletes with physical disabilities from some 120 countries will gather in Atlanta, just as their Olympic counterparts did. They will compete in events such as basketball, judo, tennis, swimming, yachting, track and field, and power- lifting. The PAralympics began in Rome in 1960 and are held every

Olympic year, but this will be the first time they are televised.

Through these games, we'll meet a new set of heroes. We'll meet athletes who, despite their disabilities, will post race times that are not so far off Olympic marks. And we'll meet athletes like Diane Straub, an above-the-knee amputee who is a competitive swimmer and medical student; and Randy Snow, a wheelchair tennis and basketball player who's as graceful as any Dream Team member on the court. Both will be participating in the Paralympic torch relay.

The flame that lit the Olympic Games where so many women shone and the flame that is on its way to the Paralympics symbolize much more than athletic competition. They represent the talent and dedication of people who took advantage of the opportunities we all worked to make available to them.

-- Creators Syndicate