In this occasion we are going to talk about Special Olympics Illinois that is working hard, and has been working since the 60s, to unleash the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sport.

1. +
Special Olympics Illinois:
their story and approach to
intellectual disability
By Yosef Meystel
Image courtesy of ANDR3W A at Flickr.com

2. + Children with special needs are special indeed. The joy and
happiness they display when they do simple and everyday
activities that for most of us are just common daily bread, is
amazing. Children that are special have rights and duties just like
the rest of us and they have their own spaces to live a normal
and simple life without the exclusive label of being a little bit
different than the rest. There are many charities to help people
with mental disabilities that have amazing programs and
approaches to a better quality of life for people with special
needs.
In this occasion we are going to talk about Special Olympics
Illinois that is working hard, and has been working since the
60s, to unleash the human spirit through the transformative
power and joy of sport. They use the power of physical exercise
to create programs, tournaments and championships to make life
more inclusive for people with mental disabilities. They also work
to create awareness among people on issues that affect the
disabled community such as eliminating the “”R” word (retard or
retarded) form people´s vocabulary. Let’s take a look at their story
approach and some of their work.

3. + Special Olympics began in Illinois with the first games at Soldier
Field in July 1968 organized by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her
peers. The dream of Eunice Kennedy Shriver was to help
people with intellectual disabilities live a more normal life by
being part of sports competitions and tournaments and she
began with her back yard camp in the early 1960s. That
coincided with the approach in therapeutic recreation by Dr.
William Freeberg at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
He became a consultant to the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
Foundation headed by Mrs. Shiver. With his knowledge and
research he trained park district personnel from across the
country. Within the camp at Little Grassy Lake there were
representatives from the Chicago Park District and a young
physical education teacher called Anne McGlone Burke who in
the next years would have great success applying Freeberg´s
approach in children with intellectual disabilities at West Pullman
Park. She also was at the front of the first Special Olympic
Games in Chicago supported by the city of Chicago, the Chicago
Park District and the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation.

4. + As for today, there are more than 4.5 million athletes in 170
countries, their finances are stable and growing, and they have an
annual budget which is increasing year by year and are having
organizational revenue streams. Special Olympics Illinois does
not charge athletes or their families to participate in the
program and are always available to lend a helping hand and
to accept any type of person with mental disabilities.
Special Olympics Illinois uses special programs in sports, health,
education and community building to change the lives of people
with intellectual disabilities and solve the problem of global
injustice, isolation, intolerance and inactivity people with
intellectual disabilities have to face in their everyday lives. Special
Olympics Illinois provides opportunities for more than 22,000
athletes, more than 20,000 Young Athletes, 45,000 volunteers and
thousands more people throughout the State of Illinois by providing
18 Area programs in all 102 counties of the state.

5. +Special Olympics Illinois focus their efforts in four main
solutions for the intellectual disabled community:
REAL SPORTS: Special Olympics Illinois provides with high-
quality training and competition in an inclusive culture which
focuses on athletic excellence, rewards determination,
emphasizes health and celebrates achievement.
ATHLETE HEALTH: Special Olympics Illinois makes sure that all
the people with intellectual disabilities in their programs have an
overall wellbeing and provides programs that ensure access to
quality health services and community-based health approaches
Image courtesy of Lovin'
Scoopful at Flickr.com

6. + TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION: their transformative education
approach has the objective of providing young people and adult
influencers with the best tools and training to create all types of
activities and community actions that are focused on friendships and
acceptance, positive attitude and behavioral change.
BUILD COMMUNITIES: SOIll implements many programs aimed to
include all stakeholders in order to inform and teach about positive
attitude and behavioral change towards people with intellectual
disabilities in communities all over the state of Illinois, which in turn
strengthens the fabric of society.
They reach out to more than 10% of the community who is eligible to
participate and they aim to keep this number growing. Their
donations come from institutions and individuals, but they receive
more donations from people and small communities than from
companies. In fact, Individual donors account for 65 percent of their
donations and they rely a lot on that number of donors. They need
people just like the average Joe, you and me, to donate and help the
cause so they can continue reaching out to more of those in need.
For more information on Special Olympics Illinois visit their webpage
www.soill.org