Special Olympics is an organization that gives kids of all disabilities the opportunity to participate in sports and activities that others often perceive as barriers for them. Kids with disabilities are looked down upon as inferior and are denied the opportunity to play sports. This attitude towards kids with disabilities is what makes Special Olympics the most beneficial organization in society.

I have been actively involved in the Down Syndrome community since first grade, and have developed a soft spot in my heart for kids with all kinds of disabilities. I have never viewed any of them as “disabled” and “less capable”. Just because they look different, sound different, learn differently, or walk differently doesn’t mean they can’t do what other people can do. They are just as capable of running the 400-meter dash as a track star is. An action such as running might just take longer to complete, but they still complete the same task, and Special Olympics breaks this stereotype and promotes the able, creating an event–track and field, swimming, and bowling–sports that kids with disabilities can participate in. Special Olympics adapts sports to the participants’ needs. Kids in wheelchairs are able to “run” by racing in their chairs to reach the finish line. Kids with disabilities ranging from Cerebral Palsy and paralysis are able to participate in sports as well. Special Olympics allows all kids to feel confident about themselves, and every kid with a disability deserves the opportunity to participate in events that others can do on a regular basis. 

I witnessed first hand the effects Special Olympics has on kids. I volunteered at Eaton High School’s Special Olympics Track and Field Event 2019, and saw the excitement and joy on kids’ faces when they ran the events. When all of the kids lined up to start their races, their faces were overwhelmed with excitement. They were high fiving each other, clapping for their teammates, and grinning ear to ear. It’s not every day that these kids get to run in a race with hundreds of people watching them and cheering for them. Special Olympics organizes an event, such as track and field, allows participants to run, jump and throw, and then rewards them first, second, third, and fourth place because it is a true sporting event. This element of ranking and placing winners of each event adds another level of elation for kids. Just seeing a kid receive a ribbon that they wouldn’t normally be awarded gives me goose-bumps and makes me believe in the society we are living in today. Special Olympics creates a day that kids with disabilities can’t wait for because they know that they are the stars and center of attention. They are no longer seen as “less capable”, but instead seen as equals and able to do anything thrown at them.

This event is not just a day to pose, and pretend that every disabled child is equal and can compete in sports. It is a day for them to BE equal because they ARE equal. The kids are competing in a true track and field competition, and not a mock one to make it SEEM like they are equal and able. The Special Olympics name might come off as an Olympic structured event made for the “special,” but it is truly a real sports competition where kids are given the platform and equity to compete by themselves. 

Society still carries a stigma that people with disabilities always need assistance and can’t do anything that “normal” people can do. This attitude of the disabled being “abnormal”  is completely wrong. These kids should be looked at as “normal” because they ARE. Nothing truly stops these kids from doing sports, but, unfortunately, there are few opportunities that allow the disabled to shine. Special Olympics is an organization that stands out among others for this reason. It gives kids the opportunity to feel like they are somebody and they can do what others can do. Whether a kid has Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or another intellectual disability, they deserve an outlet through sports and activities that grants a time for them to shine and be equal.