Beyond the year-round sports training and athletic competition it offers to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics can have a far-reaching effect on people’s lives.  Leo Alonso, a volunteer who coaches Special Olympics in northern Virginia, says the program “enhances the social skills and social development” of participants, and even improves their employment prospects.

When youngsters become Special Olympians, “it teaches them responsibility,” Alonso told USINFO.  “They have to get to practices and games on time, and they learn sportsmanship.  That translates into good habits for the work environment.”

Coaches and other volunteers also benefit, Alonso added.  “Every coach that I’ve ever brought on board says it’s a highlight of their lives. Once they see the kids, they get attached to them.”

Special Olympics traces its roots to a day camp established in 1962 at the home of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of the late President John F. Kennedy.  Shriver was convinced that “people with intellectual disabilities were far more capable than commonly believed and deserving of the same opportunities and experiences as others,” according to the Special Olympics Web site.  She invited 35 children with intellectual disabilities to attend a day camp on the lawn of her home near Washington.

At Camp Shriver, as it was called, the children were encouraged to play sports in the belief that a structured athletic program would facilitate social interaction and promote a lifelong commitment to physical fitness.

Camp Shriver provided a springboard for the creation of similar camps throughout the United States, and soon a formal sports competition for intellectually disabled athletes was proposed.  The result was the first Special Olympics Games in 1968, modeled after a traditional Olympics track meet.  Today, Special Olympics works with 2.5 million athletes in 165 countries, and its expansion suggests a growing awareness of the need to offer greater support to the intellectually disabled and integrate them into their communities.  (See related article.)

The Special Olympics’ message of hope and inclusion has been instrumental in altering perceptions about people with intellectual disabilities, said Alonso.  Disabled children now are more likely to be educated alongside their nondisabled peers in U.S. public schools.  Nondisabled children can volunteer to be peer mentors for intellectually disabled students, and the youngsters often develop deep bonds.  “In fact, some peer mentors go on to pursue degrees in special education because of their exposure to these kids,” Alonso said.

Alonso’s association with Special Olympics began after he joined the Optimists Club, a volunteer service group, in 1983.  A Cuban-born immigrant who came to the United States at age 10, Alonso had started a successful supermarket business in the Washington area.  “The Special Olympics approached the Optimists Club and asked us to sponsor a basketball tournament,” he recalled.  “Before the tournament, we volunteered at Special Olympics track and field events.  I did it for about two years, and then my daughter Vivian was born with Down syndrome.”

Down syndrome, a condition that produces mild to moderate mental retardation, affects a sizable number of Special Olympics athletes.  With the birth of Vivian, working with disabled youngsters soon became a family affair, said Alonso.  “My older daughter ended up volunteering, too.  So did my wife.”

Pat Hammeke, another volunteer coach in northern Virginia, has a son and daughter who are Special Olympics athletes.  He said the program helps participants “learn about teamwork, and how to lose graciously, which is a part of life.  They learn discipline and perseverance.  And teammates develop friendships.  They enjoy the camaraderie, and they earn the respect of other people they compete against.”

Alonso, too, cited the importance of social networks for the intellectually disabled.  Dances are held at many of Special Olympics tournaments, “and these athletes benefit immensely from the social scene,” he said.  “They look forward to that -- big time.”

Hammeke said there is “still a long way to go in terms of increasing the public’s understanding” of people with intellectual disabilities, “but understanding leads to inclusion.”

His daughter Casey, 30, has been a Special Olympian for 22 years.  “I play soccer [football] and basketball, and I swim,” she told USINFO.  She has been a Special Olympics global messenger, and in that capacity, she said, “I speak to different [volunteer] groups” to recruit more participants for the program.

The Special Olympics “has let me make new friends and spread my wings,” said Casey Hammeke.  “One of my dreams is to write plays, and I’m working with a theater group for people with disabilities.”  Through the Special Olympics, she said, “I can develop job skills and find work.  I have become a better athlete.  I enjoy it a lot, and I will do it all my life.”

More information is available on the Special Olympics Web site.