When Rules Exclude: On Bowling and Equality

• Author: Colleen Sheppard
• Pages: 29-44

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–2–

When Rules Exclude:

On Bowling and Eality

My name is Tammy Lee McLeod. I am 11 years old. I love bowling so

much I want to be a ar! Bowling is the only sport that I am able to play

right along with my friends. I am a pretty good bowler and have alif‌ied

for several tournaments. When they told me I was not allowed to bowl in

them I was very mad. All I want to do is go out and bowl and have fun and

be able to compete ju like my friends!

— testimony of tammy mcLeoD, citeD in McLeod v Youth BowLing counciL

of ontario, ontario BoarD of inquiry, 19881

   not stop to consider the implications of the myriad

rules and regulations that we confront every day: we simply follow

them. But the rules that shape our lives are not completely neu-

tral — they have generally been developed and applied by those who

belong to the dominant group in any given social structure. This

means that rules that appear neutral can have very unequal ef‌fects

on individuals and groups, even to the point of excluding people

from opportunities or activities and undermining the possibility for

participating in the surrounding community. Anti-discrimination

law is concerned with rules that unfairly exclude particular indi-

viduals, such as children and adults with disabilities. The rules and

regulations of society — the standard norms — often do not take into

account the dif‌ferent needs and realities facing persons with dis-

abilities. Increasingly, individuals with disabilities have challenged

apparently neutral rules and revealed their exclusionary ef‌fects.

Tammy McLeod and her parents, in challenging Tammy’s exclusion

from a regional bowling tournament, were at the forefront of raising

Discrimination stories

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awareness about the discriminatory ef‌fects of society’s rules. Her

human rights case is the focus of this chapter.

Tammy McLeod’s Case

Excluded from the Tournament

This is a story about Tammy McLeod when she was a young girl.2 She

has cerebral palsy, a medical condition that af‌fects her motor coordin-

ation and speech, and requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility,

but does not af‌fect her mental capacities. When Tammy was six years

old, she began bowling with the help of her parents. Tammy’s father

built her a simple wooden ramp — a “ramp assist.” Her mother would

carry her up to the bowling lane, put the wooden ramp on Tammy’s

lap, and place a bowling ball at the top of the ramp. Tammy would

take hold of the ball, move the ramp into the best position to guide the

ball’s direction, and then release it. The incline of the ramp gave the

ball the speed necessary to reach the end of the bowling lane.

This process allowed Tammy to bowl with her brother and

school friends every Saturday morning at the local bowling alley, and

brought Tammy and her family a great deal of joy. Tammy became

more and more skilled with the ramp as she grew older, and she

competed in a Bantam league with sixty other children. When she

was eleven years old, she entered the annual “4 Steps to Stardom”

tournament, which involved local, regional, provincial, and national

competitions. At the f‌irst of the four levels of competition, Tammy

qualif‌ied to progress to the next level of competition. Shortly there-

after, however, she was informed by the local administrator of the

Youth Bowling Council that she was disqualif‌ied from further par-

ticipation in the tournament because of her use of the ramp. The

Youth Bowling Council administrator considered the use of the ramp

to violate the Canadian 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association Ocial Rules and

Regulations (1978), specif‌ically, rule 1(b) that stated, “A bowling ball

must be delivered entirely by manual means and shall not incorpor-

ate any device either in the ball or axed to it.”

Tammy was deeply upset by her exclusion from the tourna-

ment and stopped bowling completely for a year following her