My name is Brittany and I am from Ashford! Recently in the week our children who play 8u coach pitch played another team and we won! Well the other coach wasn’t so happy because he is a sore loser and can’t take loosing. There’s much more I could say but the article below is from another parent. This particular coach went and filed a complaint due to our coach being in a wheel chair AND the Rec director supports what he did. We aren’t stopping until this is handled correctly and not because someone is a crybaby for loosing please please sign this, so our girls can have their coach chase back. The girls think the world if him and it’s definitely devastating to him what these nasty nasty people have done! 

The City of Ashford Recreational Department has banned our 8u softball coach from pitching to our girls BECAUSE HE IS IN A WHEELCHAIR!! Our team has played 5 games of our season with no problems, but it was stated to us that the complaint was made by a team that we played this week. The complaint was made to Dixie Youth Sports Association's District 6's Chuck Brinley. He sought advice from the president/founder of Dixie Youth Softball, Obie Evans. Mr. Evans instructed Chuck Brinley to let Jeff Speed (Ashford Park Director) know that wheelchairs are a safety hazard and no wheelchairs were allowed on the field by players or coaches. When we called the President, Mr. Evans, to confirm, he advised us that there was a special league for people like them and it was not on his fields. When we said that not all people in wheelchairs are special needs he replied by saying "I'm not calling him retarded but I'm saying there is a special needs league for people in wheelchairs". When we asked for formal documents stating where the rule was that wheelchairs weren't allowed he stated that it IS NOT IN THE RULE BOOK and it WILL NOT BE ADDED because of ADA. He only has provided an email to the park director stating that wheelchairs will not be allowed on the fields because of it being a safety hazard and said he had a lawyer that advised him that he could ban wheelchairs from the playing field. We have filed an ADA complaint and we have sought out advice and are following up on leads. What isn't fair is that this president rules over 10 states. So, in the 10 states that he rules over, now a girl in a wheelchair or a parent in a wheelchair cannot participate in Dixie youth sports because of this new "recommendedation". It is to be noted that the Dixie youth boys follows the ADA and they allow a form to be submitted for a non discrimination league so that wheelchair bound people can still play. The boys do not discriminate against people in wheelchairs!The girls on our team have never seen him as anything different than a coach/ Mr. Chase and have never judged him as these adults are. These men are setting the wrong example for our youth in a world where we preach inclusion! They are telling these girls that if something ever happened and they wound up in a chair like Chase then they wouldn't be able to be a part of the things they love and they are showing them that discrimination is okay!