Can my disabled child play in a mainstream grassroots team?

Yes. England Football lists mainstream clubs and leagues as one of the routes for disabled players, alongside pan-disability and impairment-specific football. Some rules help:

• Age group: a disabled child can apply for a dispensation to play in a younger age group where playing in their own age group would put them at a substantial disadvantage.
• Hearing aids and cochlear implants: deaf players may wear them in mainstream football. The player and/or their parents decide, not the referee. If one comes loose, the referee asks the player to leave the pitch to secure it.
• Prostheses: a prosthesis must be approved in advance for mainstream football; contact your County FA.
• Discrimination: The FA's Rules of the Association forbid any participant from discriminating by reason of disability, and abusive or insulting behaviour that refers to disability is an "aggravated breach" of the rules.