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- 1. 1 Matthew Gallineau Dustin Parrott English 201 24 June 2014 Rough Draft ºÝºÝߣs/Special Education & Special Olympics Special individuals with cognitive disabilities should be able to train and compete in sports at a national level. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of Special Olympics in the year 1968, shared a belief that these special individuals should be able to compete like everyone else in the world at an Olympic level. Eunice¡®s motto was that exceptional children are exceptional athletes and should be afforded equal opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities she believed these individuals should be able to attain their highest potential in sports. Special Education has enhanced the progress and growth of Special Olympics programs; teachers motivate and give their students confidence to look beyond the classroom and help them to be a part of organized sports in the. global community. Through Special Olympic sports these athletes can cleary visualize their abilities, learn to apply their strengths and our less concerned with their disabilities. They learn more about themselves and their hidden talents and as a result become well-rounded individuals. Organized sports have enhanced these individuals social and physical attributes; thru training and participation in Olympic events these athletes have the opportunity to become more physically fit and at the same time possibility meet and establishing new friendships that may last a life time. In the long run, participating in Special Olympics has helped many individuals with cognitive disabilities maintain healthier, productive and more content lifestyles. The ultimate goal is to assist each individual in adjusting to circumstances that they have never experienced before and provide them with the opportunity to explore and
- 2. 2 develop their full potential as a person. Many of them become so proficient in sports that they attained leadership and mentoring roles in the Special Olympics community. Special Olympics gives individuals with intellectual disabilities the freedom to compete in sports without peer pressure. At every Olympic event, all athletes are winners. Throughout history we can point out people that can change the way we think and the way we live. In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver launched Special Olympics in her own backyard. Eunice¡¯s sister Rosemary Kennedy was stricken with mental retardation as a child. Eunice¡¯s father Joseph Kennedy had founded national foundation for mental retardation in 1948; Eunice wished to pursue her father¡¯s mission to change society¡¯s perceptions and the treatment given to individuals with intellectual disabilities. In 1962 Eunice Shriver Kennedy launched the Special Olympic program by inviting kids with intellectual disabilities to explore a variety of sports and physical activates in her own back yard in the form of day camps. The community got wind of her camps and from 1962 to 1968 there was more than three hundred camps established over the country. Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband R. Sargent Shriver were motivated to provide more services to this population; they pushed the government,thru the Kennedy Foundation plan, to obtain funding for special Olympics programs and for the U.S and international Olympic committees to endorse the recognition of the Special Olympics. The Shriver¡¯s started the first Special Olympics in July of 1968 at Sadler field in Chicago, Illinois. During this event there were roughly one thousand participants from Canada and the United States. The sports events in this first Olympics were hockey, track and aquatics. Eunice and R. Sargent Shriver started the first winter special Olympic games in 1977 which took place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where athletes engaged in the sports of skiing and skating. The Shriver¡¯s continued with expanding the Special Olympics movement further by extending the
- 3. 3 games internationally to the middle and Far East Asian countries of the former Soviet Union. R. Sargent Shriver served as the president of the Special Olympic foundation and the chairmen of the Special Olympics¡¯ international committee. Eunice Shriver passed away in August of 2009 and R. Sargent Shriver died in January of 2011. Their legacy continued through Eunice son¡®s Timothy Shriver¡¯s hard work and commitment to their cause. They laid down for the foundation of the Special Olympics movement and they were responsible for changing the lives of many individuals afflicted with intellectual disabilities. Euncie Kennedy Shriver dream was that these individuals should not have to change themselves to reach their full potentials in life, rather society would be the one to change especially their false perceptions of these individuals after seeing them display their God given talents on the Olympic fields. Today this movement has over two hundred special Olympic programs, more than 3 million athletes and with 32 sports events and 16 countries. The future of the movement of Special Olympics is to the world¡¯s greatest movement promoting human acceptance and universal human value that the world has ever seen. These are the worlds deeply wounded victims of prejudice Athletes represent a challenge to intolerance, prejudice, fear and human misunderstanding. From article. You Know Eunice the World Will Never be the same After this, ¡°putting a ball in a slow learners hands, and seeing them score, that¡¯s when the perception of someone can change. What separates Special Olympics from every other competition is love and being a part of something. They become confident and empowered by their accomplishments. They no longer see themselves as being someone who is alone and compromised by their disabilities because they are a valued contribute to their Olympic sport team.
- 4. 4 The way Special Olympics can be defined is unbounded joy. You can see that in the faces of the athletes their families and friends. I also think that it¡¯s a celebration. It really breaks down the barriers of prejudice. It celebrates the differences of these individuals and says no matter what your disability may mean, you can accomplish great things. Special Olympics are such a wonderful opportunity to help transform people¡¯s lives. In the 2008 Olympics in East Asia, special Olympic athlete Siphon Mocha from South America expressed ¡°being here has been like a dream for me. Coming here being in these games is more then I imagined. It got me out of my world¡±. It really gives them the courage to learn on their own and to apply for a new job. It also gives them the choice to meet and interact with new friends were they may have been afraid to do that before. Each individual¡¯s personality becomes almost infectious and they are determined to succeed. They gain the strength to speak up for themselves even when they don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. But they are just like every one of us and have their own voice in this world. These individuals carry these traits off the playing grounds and into their daily lives at home as well. Many of them start to take great pride in them and were they live. I think what it has shown are those individuals with disabilities can be tax paying and really productive citizens within their community. I find it kind of that they all live in the same complex. They eat together and go places together and form a bond between each other. Therefore, if we play, dance and sing more unified we might someday learn how to learn how to live more unified. Those who volunteer to help out each individual during the Olympic Games really play an important role on the development and progress of him or her. The teacher forms unity with
- 5. 5 the challenged individual through training. Unity is Special Olympic athletes playing with regular athletes. People with non-disabilities learn more from those who have disabilities. A person with intellectual disabilities has gifts to bring in every conversation and in every goal setting. Teachers are the refusal source for these individuals to take part in the Special Olympics. Special Olympics aren¡¯t just about the sports. It¡¯s about incredible amount of unity, comradely, friendship, and bonding. Training for each athlete is just like any other sporting event. They work very hard to win and compete with others. Winning a medal would be a great accomplishment for each individual. For those who could not win a medal in their event they still feel happy about participating and giving their best effort. I think the most important thing about the games is when each person feels they accomplished something. For once in their lives they took part in something. They should all feel happy that they were given the opportunity to better themselves and train for the Olympics. There are certain rules that individuals need to follow in order to be a part of the Special Olympics. Special Olympics competitions are open to athletes ages 8 and up. For young people with intellectual disabilities ages 2¨C7, Special Olympics has a Young Athletes program¡ªa sport and play program with a focus on fun activities that are important to mental and physical growth. They are available free of charge for all participants more than four million athletes are involved with over 180 countries. The Olympics offers 32 different sporting events from basketball, skating, swimming, aerobics, badminton etc.