Special Olympics
Africa > 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 into 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
|
