Special Olympics

1. Mission:                                                The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

2. Programas offered by Special Olympics:                                       Special Olympics offers 30-plus Olympic-style individual and team sports that provide meaningful training and competition opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities.

3. How are programs accessed? Special Olympics has offices in 170 countries, the easy way to contact the organization is to access their website: www.specialolympics.org

4. What do they do?                                 Special Olympics transforms lives through the joy of sports, everyday, everywhere. They are the world's largest sport organization for people with intellectual disabilities.

5. How does the agency address equity, inclusion and awareness of cultural diversity? (Topic B).                                The Special Olympics mission remains as vital today as it did when the movement was founded in 1968. Special Olympics strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills and success. Athletes find joy, confidence and fulfillment -- on the playing field and in life. They also inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential.

6. Making Change and Allowing Change:      Special Olympics is raising awareness about the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities. Through sports, we showcase the skills and dignity of athletes. At the same time, Special Olympics brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together to see and take part in the transformative power of sports. We know the odds our athletes must overcome and the barriers they face every single day. We see this at training events and competitions as our athletes push to beat their personal bests. Their stories and successes inspire us all. We fight negative stereotypes and misperceptions. We educate people young and old about the skills and gifts of our athletes. We provide educational experiences for coaches, volunteers and teachers to enhance their knowledge and show them how the Special Olympics experience can transcend all aspects of their lives.