Fact sheet on the impact and importance of Special Olympics programs serving our constituents that are funded mainly by the U.S. Federal Government.

1. SPECIAL OLYMPICS – A TRUSTED PARTNER WITH THE US GOVERNMENT
Crisis in Health and Health Care for People with Intellectual Disability
Until recently, people with an intellectual disability were ignored and even shunned by society. Today they
are still caught in a trap. The public believes that they have better health care than the rest of the
population, but research shows the opposite:
 1/2 of our program beneficiaries showed foot infections/problems causing pain and dysfunction
 56% of them have untreated dental decay/gum infections – 10% urgent!
 12% of them report oral pain at the time of health screening
 30% of them have hearing loss
 65% of them are overweight or obese
 1/2 of them need vision correction
 22% of them exhibit bone loss on testing
Special Olympics Healthy Athletes has provided more than 1 million free health
screenings to athletes.
80% of the support for this program comes from foundation, corporate and personal donations (including
15,000 health volunteers each year).
One federal seed dollar results in five dollars of needed care delivered.

2. Crisis in Employment for People with Intellectual Disability
People with intellectual disabilities face serious obstacles to securing jobs and having careers that can build
self sufficiency and success.
Strikingly, 52% of working age Special Olympics Athletes (U.S.) are employed compared to
an estimated 10% of people with ID in the general population.
Special Olympics Research demonstrates that Athletes gain confidence, skills, teamwork experiences,
personal planning and goal setting experiences, communications opportunities, and community contacts
that increase their readiness for work, leadership and self reliance.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS PARTNERSHIPS – FROM SCHOOL TO WORKPLACE
Through its forty-three years of experience working with the ID community, Special Olympics has identified
unique methods of inducing people with ID to become active participants in the US workforce – and our
unique programs start in our schools. National leaders warn of the uncivil behavior and bullying that happens
routinely in and around our schools and inevitably affects our economy in a variety of ways. These cruel and
dangerous acts create hostile situations that threaten educational achievement, fuel truancy and law
breaking, and, tragically, result in lives destroyed or damaged. Research shows that children with disabilities,
especially intellectual disabilities, are the most bullied children. Working with the Department of Education,
Special Olympics has taken a stand that schools cannot be hostile cultures where children with disabilities are
targets of neglect or abuse. Special Olympics Project UNIFY is implementing a variety of intervention
strategies in 43 states, in more than 15,000 schools, reaching 600,000 students directly (150,000 through the
web), to build school environments where all children feel Safe to Learn and where all individuals are valued
for what they can contribute. These efforts are led by youth – both with and without Intellectual Disability.
These results should be reflected in the workforce in years to come.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN EFFECTIVE US GOVERNMENT PARTNER BY LEADERS FOR
DECADES