Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two Madison West students with disabilities have been invited to participate with the school’s swimming team after their parents expressed concern that they’d be excluded in 2025. The athletes, who intended to compete as exhibition swimmers and not as part of traditional competition, were initially told the team did not have openings, but the school reversed that stance as of the evening of Sept. 12. Asha Shukla, a senior with Down Syndrome, and Aurelia Bergstrom, a freshman with a low incidence neurogenetic disorder of unknown causes that falls under the category of Syndrome Without A Name (SWAN), were both told they would need to try out to earn their spot on the team on account of a large volume of interested swimmers.