Acceptance
“Thirty years ago I was told that I wasn’t going to be anybody, that I would
be put in an institution. Today, I stand here to say that I am somebody.”
Loretta
Claiborne, Special Olympics Athlete and Spokesperson
Special
Olympics was founded on the conspicuous disparity in our communities – those
that benefit the most from physical exercise and social interaction are the
same individuals who barely see a football, never mind getting picked for a
team. And the same individuals who struggle the most to learn are the ones who
only get taught to stay at home. But today, through various initiatives, Special
Olympics has carried the movement off the sports field and in to the classroom.
Into the hospitals. Into the families. Today Special Olympics is not about “them”,
it’s about all of “us”.
Unified Sport
Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an initiative
that combines approximately equal numbers of Special Olympics athletes and athletes
without intellectual disabilities (called Partners) on sports teams for training
and competition. Age and ability matching of athletes and Partners is defined
on a sport-by-sport basis.
Throughout the year, in a variety of sports ranging from basketball to golf
to figure skating, Unified Sports athletes improve their physical fitness, sharpen
their skills, challenge the competition and have fun, too.
Families
"I have new heroes and they are the parents of persons with intellectual
disabilities. They demanded that their children be treated like other children.
They said, my children are of value. In 10 or 15 years, we are going to have
millions of athletes in Special Olympics around the world and the parents are
going to say to everybody, 'We won.'"
Families are the most powerful and valuable natural
resource available to Special Olympics. Families serve Special Olympics by reaching
out to new athletes, coaching, transporting, raising funds, officiating, chaperoning
and training other volunteers. Family members also make energetic and enthusiastic
goodwill ambassadors because they know first-hand the benefits and joys of being
part of Special Olympics.
Special Olympics strives to involve families in activities and to encourage
them to share in the joy that comes from such participation. At the national
level, the Family Support Network provides a framework to support local programs
involving families in the Special Olympics movement.
Schools and Youth
The Schools & Youth initiative encourages school-age youth to celebrate
differences and break down barriers. Its efforts, such as SO
Get Into It® and Youth Summits, involve school-age youth in a variety of
activities centered on Special Olympics, including participation in Special
Olympics sports and events that will enable them to play a positive role in
their schools and communities.
Law Enforcement Torch Run
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® raises
funds for and awareness of the Special Olympics movement worldwide. Law enforcement
officers from 35 countries carry the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope"
in honor of the Special Olympics athletes.
Healthy Athletes
The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®
initiative's mission is to improve each athlete's ability to train and compete
in Special Olympics. Healthy Athletes includes several disciplines: Fit Feet,
FUNfitness, Health Promotion, Healthy Hearing, Opening Eyes® and Special Smiles®,
as well as MedFest, a program that facilitates the required standard sports
physical examination for current and prospective Special Olympics athletes.
This initiative in itself has allowed Special Olympics Africa to reach
out to significant numbers of new athletes and provide them with sorely needed
medical attention.
Eunice
Kennedy Shriver, Founder and Honorary Chair, Special Olympics
