MUNCIE, Ind. -- Athletes with disabilities will benefit from proposed changes in the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, a Ball State University educator said.

Michael Ferrara, a physical education professor, recently attended meetings in Washington held by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to update the bill's provisions. Ferrara represented athletes with disabilities as medical director for the United States Disabled Sports team.

The Amateur Sports Act of 1978, originally written by Sen. Stevens, provides legal framework and the mandate for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

"But in 1978, athletes with disabilities were unknown," Ferrara said. "They're not mentioned anywhere in the act."

To remedy that, the revised legislation places disabled athletes within the USOC mandate. Included are athletes who are blind or visually impaired or who have cerebral palsy, amputations or spinal cord injuries.

"This will legally mandate the USOC to provide services for all athletes with disabilities," Ferrara said. Services for which the USOC will take responsibility include elite athlete training opportunities, competition drug testing and health insurance.

The new mandate will also solidify support for the Paralympic Games by making the USOC the official National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The 1996 games in Atlanta saw more than 3,500 athletes from more than 120 nations competing in 19 medal events.

Ball State has trained and prepared Paralympic athletes since 1988. Ferrara was director of medical operations in Atlanta and another Ball State professor, Ron Davis was director of athlete classification.

"The success of the 1996 Paralympics and the achievements of its athletes gave more visibility and recognition to disabled athletes and made them more marketable," Ferrara said. "We received more than $75 million in private and public funding from such major corporate sponsors as Coca-Cola, IBM and UPS."

At this point, Ferrara said, all parties have agreed to the provisions covering disabled athletes.

"The USOC has been tremendous in its support of the Paralympics and athletes with disabilities," Ferrara said. According to Ferrara, Stevens hopes to introduce the new bill later in the current congressional session with passage anticipated near the end of the year.