Disabled Lawton boy continues soccer play without opposition

Thursday, April 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A 9-year-old soccer player whose red, padded walker led to a federal court fight to get him onto the field in Lawton is back on the team this spring, without any opposition.

Ryan Taylor, who has cerebral palsy, has played some in each game he's made this season with his Pioneer Park Thunder teammates, manning his position as a defender near the goal with his four-wheeled walker in front of him, said his mother, JoAnne Taylor.

There's usually not much action on Ryan's end of the field, but Taylor said her son is just happy to be on the field with his friends.

"There's three of them down there, and I think they're picking flowers and going to sleep most of the time," she said.

Ryan gained the right to play the final game of last fall's season from a federal judge. The Lawton Evening Optimist Soccer Association had suspended him from the field over safety concerns about the walker Ryan depends on to run and play.

The judge ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act required the league to provide a reasonable accommodation for Ryan, but the decision applied only to the one game.

However, the league has since agreed to let Ryan play this spring and fall, Mrs. Taylor said.

JoAnne and Tim Taylor were informed of the league's decision to let Ryan play through their attorney.

Attempts to reach a league official and the league's attorney by telephone were unsuccessful.

Ryan turns 10 in September and won't play with older kids after the fall season because that level of soccer is too competitive for him, Mrs. Taylor said.

"We never wanted him to get hurt or anything and they do get more competitive as they get older," she said. "Our thoughts always were they're not too competitive right now."

Ryan has become a celebrity since his battle with the league. He rode on the fire truck during Lawton's Christmas parade and flipped the switch with a group of kids on the community Christmas tree.

A Hollywood promoter is interested in Ryan's story.

Paul Shrater, a producer for his company called Cornucopia Pictures, plans to pitch Ryan's story to networks and cable stations.

"It was immediately something that struck me as one of the human heart kind of stories that people like and I'd like to see more of," said Shrater, whose proposal is in the planning stages.

The Taylors could get from $25,000 to $75,000, depending on the success of Ryan's story and which outlets buy the movie idea, Mrs.Taylor said.

The money, she said, would be put a college fund for Ryan, who has asked her if he's a movie star now.

In the meantime, more kids are out for soccer on the Thunde rthis season, and others welcomed Ryan back with open arms, she said.

"Everybody knew who he was," she said. "I was wondering if he was going to be able to play without a camera in his face."