Written by In the summer of 2015, I had the opportunity to be involved with the Special Olympics World Games based in Los Angeles, California. I spent the whole week working the volleyball portion of the whole tournament. Teams came from all corners of the world to participate. I have never seen more excitement or joy from athletes participating in a tournament. I myself have never felt more joy or excitement, if you have never been to a Special Olympics event, go, it will change your life.
In several Special Olympic sports, there are extra divisions which include a “unified” team. Unified teams “empower individuals with and without disabilities to engage through the power of sports.” This approach creates opportunities of inclusion, friendship, and understanding; which in my opinion are crucial to creating well rounded adults. It teaches youth from a young age how to work and engage with people who are different than them; as they transition into adulthood and encounter colleagues and peers who do things a little different, they are better equipped to create positive working relationships.
Special Olympics was founded 52 years ago, with the intention of changing public attitude towards individuals with intellectual disabilities, because at the time many families felt ashamed of their children with intellectual disabilities, and often kept them out of the public eye. We know how valuable sports can be in teaching many of life’s greatest lessons to children and youth, but creating opportunities in sports for those with intellectual disabilities teaches even more lessons. Many face struggles with socialization, verbalization skills, and building friendships; participation in sports has shown dramatic improvements in these areas, as well as an increase in confidence.
Sometimes we focus so much on how our kids develop as athletes in their respective sports, that we forget the other important lessons they are learning, such as teamwork, how to deal with failure, setting goals, dealing with curveballs. Using sports as a means to teach children how to interact with individuals with disabilities, create friendships, and overall, how to be a great human being, can do a great deal of good for the future. If we can use the Special Olympics model of inclusion, in more aspects of our lives, we will see success and joy beyond expectation. To quote the Special Olympics Oath: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”