PLANO, Texas — A Prosper mother is suing Cheer Athletics, alleging in the lawsuit that the cheer program discriminated against her daughter, who has hearing loss.
Cheer Athletics denied the allegations in a statement to WFAA. The 9-year-old girl has competed with Cheer Athletics in Plano for about three years, according to the lawsuit.
“She loves cheerleading and was excited to join Cheer Athletics – Frisco, a less demanding introductory program, for the 2021-2022 season,” the lawsuit reads. “Plaintiff then transferred [the girl] to the more rigorous program at Defendant’s facility.”
The girl’s mother, Alicia Mims, alleged that she repeatedly requested American Sign Language interpreters to help relay coaches’ directions “after watching [the girl] struggle to understand coaches throughout the 2022-2023 season,” according to the lawsuit.
“Despite Plaintiff’s repeated requests for interpretation services, Defendant failed to provide this accommodation for practices until…at the start of 2024, and then only for a limited ‘trial period’ at practices only,” the lawsuit states. “Despite ultimately securing an interpreter for this ‘trial period,’ Defendant placed significant restrictions on the qualified interpreter’s ability to meaningfully communicate necessary information to [the girl] at practices.”
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges the gym limited where interpreters could be in the gym when they could be there, and more, and “thereby [the girl] misses learning opportunities and safety warnings otherwise available to her hearing teammates.”
“[The girl] feels embarrassed and frustrated by her lack of understanding at practices and competitions,” the lawsuit continued. “Without effective communication, she is excluded from opportunities to connect with her teammates and be fully included in Defendant’s programs and services.”
The lawsuit details the cheer program violated the girl’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Cheer Athletics, though, called the allegations in the lawsuit “categorically false.”
"We are heartbroken to see months of hard work and commitment by the Cheer Athletics staff to help a little girl safely participate in cheerleading ultimately result in a lawsuit that we were first notified of tonight by the media,” the program said in a statement. “Cheer Athletics spared no expense conferring with experts in the field. We spoke with the child’s doctor, who said a roger device was the correct accommodation for this athlete in the all-star cheer environment. We immediately purchased the roger device at our sole expense. The mother refused the roger device accommodation and demanded a translator. A translator was then provided at our expense.”
“We have advocated for this athlete to ensure she remains an integral part of her squad,” the statement continued. "Cheer Athletics has decades of success with athletes with hearing loss succeeding to the highest levels in our program- including winning world championships- and will continue to provide a safe and inclusive solution- to the best of our financial ability- for all all-star cheerleaders."
Founded in the '90s in Plano, Cheer Athletics has locations across the U.S. and other North Texas locations in Dallas, Frisco, and Rockwall, according to their website.
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