Coaching Box - Deaf Player's Interpreter Told No

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

Beyond that there are 2 groups of people upset.



1) Fans/followers who are in a twist because they got something one way all season long and then when someone tries to enforce a rule they get up in arms. Welcome to being a fan/follower.

What is it about playoff games that causes officials to make issues out of stuff they would likely ignore the previous three months?

(Rhetorical question. Don’t actually answer. We all know the answer.)



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[ilyazhito]

Is it the fact that officials are actually being watched, for the possibility of advancing to the State Semifinals/Finals and want to show their rules knowledge (along with good mechanics and the other needed abilities)?

If I had this team's coach in the game, I would treat the interpreter as the head coach for the purposes of communication with the deaf player, and ask the head coach to file an accommodation letter with the state office, if he has not already done so. If the player (and his coach) present me with an accommodation letter from his state, I will honor it and relay the specifics to my partners.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

What is it about playoff games that causes officials to make issues out of stuff they would likely ignore the previous three months?

Even though it was offered as a rhetorical question, I would like to answer.

Here in Connecticut, previous to the state tournament there is a meeting for all officials selected to work the state tournament. Among many other topics, points of emphasis (not the same as the NFHS Points of Emphasis) for state tournament games are covered. These topics often include things like uniforms, equipment, coaching box, state medical and religious waivers, etc. One year a major point of emphasis was to keep players out of the jump ball circle during the announcement of the starting lineups. Lots of officials were "herding" players away from the circle before state tournament games that year.

Also, here in Connecticut we have six local boards that cover regular season games in six different geographic regions. We have a state tournament rule that states that officials (we only work with our local board partners, no crossovers) may only work games in which both of the teams, or neither of the teams, in a specific state tournament game be geographically affiliated with those local board officials (Connecticut is a very small state, with no state tournament geographic regions, state tournament officials can work anywhere in the entire state).

Last night I observed my friends work a game at a site (ninety minute drive for me, slightly longer for them) that they never worked at before, between two teams they've never worked, teams in two different conferences they've never worked, from two towns they've never worked in, with two coaches that they've never met.

Even though Connecticut is 100% IAABO, each local board may stress certain rules differently than other local IAABO boards. One may see varsity players wearing illegal sleeves in some local boards, but not at the varsity level in other local boards. Some local boards may stress coach deportment more than other local boards.

These differences often become apparent in state tournament games.

[billyu2]

Originally Posted by BryanV21

Without a directive from the NFHS or OHSAA I'm allowing the interpreter, unless for some reason safety is an issue.

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Bryan: From the OHSAA Basketball Manual (OHSAA Website)

Authorizing rule exceptions to provide reasonable accommodations– Adopted in Ohio.
Comment: The NFHS allows reasonable accommodations to be made to individual participants with disabilities and/or
special needs, as well as those individuals with unique and extenuating circumstances. Please send a written request to
[email protected]. If the permission is granted, you will keep that to show officials prior to a contest.

In a similar issue several years ago, the OHSAA granted permission for a coach using sign language to stand.

[BryanV21]

Originally Posted by billyu2

Bryan: From the OHSAA Basketball Regulations (OHSAA Website)



Authorizing rule exceptions to provide reasonable accommodations– Adopted in Ohio.

Comment: The NFHS allows reasonable accommodations to be made to individual participants with disabilities and/or

special needs, as well as those individuals with unique and extenuating circumstances. Please send a written request to

[email protected]. If the permission is granted, you will keep that to show officials prior to a contest.



In a similar issue several years ago, the OHSAA granted permission for a coach using sign language to stand.

Thanks. If I ran into this next season I probably would have screwed up.

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[Max]

I talked with 2 of the 3 officials on the game and they were not told about the deaf player in the coaches meeting before the game. The school had not contacted the IHSAA about getting a waiver for the player to have an interpreter either. An assistant couch told one of the officials that they thought everyone knew about it. All 3 officials live 45-90 miles from this school. I love closer than that and I hadn't heard about it. The school's failure to properly get a waiver put the officials in a terribly awkward position. When this came up during game action the officials allowed the interpreter to stand just outside the box area when the player was in the game.

[crosscountry55]

Let’s not righteously pounce on perceived ignorance. Point made, winning counterpoint offered in reply. Let’s move on and not let this distract us from the fact that it’s in schools’ best interests to have state approval for abnormal conditions in advance. This situation, and others like it that pop up every postseason, are entirely preventable with a little foresight.

It shouldn’t be put on officials to reconcile competing guidance—in this case NFHS BB rules and the ADA reasonable accommodations clause—when they are accountable for one but not the other.


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[Pantherdreams]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

It shouldn’t be put on officials to reconcile competing guidance—in this case NFHS BB rules and the ADA reasonable accommodations clause—when they are accountable for one but not the other.


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This.

Officials job is to administer the game and rules. Not be deeply aware of legal interpretations of state/federal statutes. This is the role of the body which has actual legal departments to determine. If documentation is done ahead of time none of this is an issue.

None of it would have been an issue if anyone of the officiating crews that had previously this year had done what this crew did or at least informed the school/governing body that a decision or ruling would be needed.

Everyone needs to take care of business when business needs to be taken care of.

[CJP]

"With less than two minutes left in the second quarter, a video shows, Culver's assistant coaches are standing up. Only the head coach is allowed to stand during live play, according to IHSAA rules.

As a referee motions for the Culver assistant coaches to sit down, he sees the woman standing and asks her to sit as well."

I find it odd that 14 minutes played before the signer was noticed. Maybe she was sitting the entire time during those 14 minutes. I just find it odd.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by CJP

I find it odd that 14 minutes played before the signer was noticed. Maybe she was sitting the entire time during those 14 minutes. I just find it odd.

Did the deaf player play the entire fourteen minutes?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by CJP

"With less than two minutes left in the second quarter, a video shows, Culver's assistant coaches are standing up. Only the head coach is allowed to stand during live play, according to IHSAA rules.

As a referee motions for the Culver assistant coaches to sit down, he sees the woman standing and asks her to sit as well."

I find it odd that 14 minutes played before the signer was noticed. Maybe she was sitting the entire time during those 14 minutes. I just find it odd.

Perhaps the deaf player was not in the game for most of those 14 minutes.

[Max]

I haven't had time to watch the whole first half but I suspect that was the first time that the player was in the game. I heard that the player split time between JV and varsity during the season so that stands to reason.

[Max]

I obviously hadn't noticed CJP's post before I commented.