Bethel University helps pave way for students with intellectual disabilities to participate in NCAA sports

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Because of one student's dream, Bethel University helped pave the way for students across the country with intellectual disabilities to participate in NCAA Division III sports.

Dylan Delaske throws shot put and discus. He's a nontraditional student-athlete through Bethel University's BUILD program, designed to provide a full college experience for students like him who live with intellectual disabilities.

"I love the feeling of living on campus. The community is just so loving," Dylan said.

He's also a bit of a trailblazer.

"I feel pretty good about this after watching college sports on TV. One day I'm like, 'I want to try to pursue this,'" Dylan said.

"It's that opportunity to really feel included, to be integrated into the whole college community," said Dawn Allen, Director of Bethel's BUILD program.

Dylan's teammates love him.

"I became his mentor last year around this time and got to grow closer to him, talk about what's going on in our lives outside of practice -- that's a thing we do a lot as the throwers as we do a lot of standing around," Ema Roethler, a senior thrower at Bethel said.

The NCAA has granted a waiver for a BUILD student to be an athlete before, but Bethel took it a step further because individual waivers became a time-consuming barrier.

"Students who are enrolled in our comprehensive transition program here at Bethel are working toward an applied studies certificate instead of a degree, which is required by NCAA," Allen said.

Bethel asked for a waiver for all future students of the program.

The NCAA did them one better.

"All Divison III athletes who are attending a comprehensive training program like the BUILD program can have this appeal also," Allen said. "Nobody has to go through all of that appeal process paperwork."

"it really grows a lot of the opportunities that people in Dylan's position may not have had in the past,"

The NCAA granting this waiver and then applying it to all D-III schools across the country is huge, not just for Dylan and the Royals, but for programs like BUILD that offer the comprehensive college experience to anyone who wants one.

The time for that could not have been any better.

"Now as we are approaching the fiftieth anniversary of Section 504, which is part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires for reasonable accommodations to be made to include people with disabilities. NCAA has the inclusion forum in April in Indianapolis," Allen said.

Dylan was one of four athletes honored at that event who's made an impact over the past 50 years.

"Dylan is kind of our Bethel Throws hype man. He is there -- when we need a big throw, Dylan is the first one cheering the team on," Dylan's coach said.

This is a springboard for what he really wants to do -- coach.

"If anybody needs assistant coaches, any team that I can get on, just be involved with athletics," Dylan said.