Dear Friends,

 

Whenever I am asked about the impact of our work, I often find myself drawing upon the experiences of staff and volunteers on the ground who have made regular training, skills development and competition happen across all of the countries in which we work. They have inspired the people they work with to develop and grow while changing mindsets in their communities to foster the spirit of inclusion in society -  it is through their endeavours that Special Olympics comes alive.

 

Over the last two years, opportunities to draw upon these experiences have changed. We have had to focus heavily on finding new ways to support people with intellectual disabilities remotely, foregoing interpersonal, face to face social interaction in favour of virtual engagement. We have also strengthened our focus on health and wellbeing as we rethink and redesign how sports training and competition would look like. These changes have been necessary and incredibly important; they reflect our changed environment and the evolving needs of people with intellectual disabilities to receive the required support.

 

Whilst it is clear that our impact is still evident, through this shifting environment, I have deeply missed hearing directly from staff, volunteers, athletes, their siblings and their parents; the first hand stories about the changes that they would see on the playing field, in the classroom and even in themselves.

 

It is with this in mind that I found myself very grateful to speak with the CEO of one of our Special Olympics programs that was fortunate to remain operational throughout 2021. They recently collected a number of stories from the field which they felt compelled to share with me. I learned of an athlete that had found a sense of commitment and focus to begin to play golf; a coach who watched proudly as an athlete stepped up to support another athlete to learn basketball; and volunteers who were simply inspired by the enthusiasm and joy that their athletes had - simply by knowing that they would get a chance to play.

 

Each story served as a welcome reminder that our work changes lives in simple yet profound ways. As the world rewakens from this pandemic slumber, and our country programs begin to resume their work, I look forward to hearing more of their reflections, and experiences - these stories that demonstrate the impact that Special Olympics has on the world through all of the people that make our work happen.

 

May we continue to change the game and we hope you enjoy the read.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

Dipak Natali
President & Managing Director
Special Olympics Asia Pacific

 

SKILLSOFT AND SPECIAL OLYMPICS COLLABORATE TO SUPPORT INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Too often, people with disabilities are left out of corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) conversations. To push for greater change, Skillsoft has collaborated with Special Olympics to better understand the disparities faced by people with intellectual disabilities and learn how organizations can create more inclusive workplace cultures for people of all abilities,

 

Through this partnership Special Olympics has had the opportunity to work with Skillsoft to develop trainings, career maps, and learning solutions to empower leaders with and without intellectual disabilities with the skills to create more inclusive communities and workplaces – these materials feature athletes like Ben Haack, Special Olympics Board Member and Athlete as well as Kiera Byland Special Olympics Great Britain Board member and Athlete.

TECHNOLOGY CAN DRIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL GOOD

In a recent interview on Oasis by KRAsia, Dipak Natali, President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific, shares his thoughts on how technology can be harnessed for inclusion and social good.

 

"People with intellectual disabilities can speak for themselves if they’re given the opportunity, right information, training, and support. They can then advocate for themselves and tell you what they need. That type of engagement and listening needs to happen more often."

Special Olympics has launched a new public service announcement, "Challenge Expectations" - part of “The Revolution Is Inclusion” campaign. It calls for an end to discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and a rallying cry to create a fully inclusive, more welcoming world for all. The new PSA “Challenge Expectations” encourages people to rethink what they believe about ability, and showcases Special Olympics athletes from around the world excelling in sports and life—defying expectations.

The video also features the vocal talents of Special Olympics Florida athlete and Global Messenger, Tajha Ilerant.

DON'T CALL HIM A HERO

“People with intellectual disabilities (ID) are often plopped into one of two categories, “inspiring heroes” or “retards.” It stings to be patronized or called a name, but it also hurts because categories aren’t necessary. People with ID are simply people, and like anyone we want to be accepted for who we are,” implores Ben Haack Special Olympics International Board Member and Special Olympics Australia Athlete Leader.

HOW TO BE A CHAMPION

Special Olympics Australia athlete, Tim Gould, is the consummate sportsman. A tennis star whose commitment to excellence is maintained by a motivation for continued improvement, Tim represents everything our movements stands for - both on and off the field of play.

 

Tim holds a full-time job on the grounds and maintenance crew at Arethusa College while training for tennis five to six days a week. Every night, he gets his clothes out and organized for the following day. “He just does it. I don’t have to prompt him or ask him,” says Jennifer Gould about Tim’s motivation.

 

On Monday, Tim takes a break from Tennis and swims. On Tuesday, Tim trains with his private coach, Ross Bushell, who has been training with him for almost six years. He plays Tennis and does group training on Wednesday night. On Thursday evenings, he does more swimming; and on Friday morning, he is back to practicing tennis. Tim has also been training with Allison Scott, the developmental coach for the Tennis Australia national association, for four years.

GALLAGHER & SPECIAL OLYMPICS LAUNCHES 6-PART COACH WEBINAR

Together with Gallagher, Special Olympics has launched a 6-part Coach Webinar Series which examines coaching from every angle and with every lens, packed with insights from international experts, to help coaches ensure their athletes receive the highest quality instruction (and, therefore, the most enjoyable of experiences) on the field of play.

Two of Thailand’s most popular artists came together to create a music video inspired by the spirit of Special Olympics athletes who bravely face challenges in their lives, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Composed by Benjamin Jung and performed by Atom Chanagun and Ada Chunhavajira, the music video We Will Rise is dedicated to frontline personnel who continue to work tirelessly to save lives.

Ada Chunhavajira, a Special Olympics Thailand Youth Ambassador, is an amateur singer who’s just 16 years old. She said the idea of creating the video was brought on by disappointment of a fundraising concert postponement she and Atom were set to hold in 2019 to support Special Olympics Thailand.

“I can't help but think about the athletes' families. They must be concerned about their children's future when they are no longer here to look after them,” Chunhavajira said. “We need to advocate social acceptance for people with intellectual disabilities.”

VIRTUAL UNIFIED FOOTBALL COMPETITION

COMES TO A CLOSE

17 teams from 9 countries took part in the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Virtual Unified Football Competition 2021, the first of such being held in this format across the region.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES INCLUSIVE SPORT ACADEMY

Special Olympics Australia has launched a new online learning platform, Inclusive Sport Academy, to help enhance skills and abilities within the sector to deliver sporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities or autism.

The new platform builds on the previous online platform which saw more than 5,500 users undertake courses and will provide a tailored, user-friendly learning experience for people with intellectual disabilities, teachers, coaches, tertiary students, and allied health professionals.

A series of dedicated courses aimed at fostering the development of physical literacy will be available in April 2022 and later in the year Special Olympics volunteers will be able to complete a free online volunteer induction on the platform.

Initial courses in Inclusive Sport Academy include:

• Improving sport for people with intellectual disabilities
• An introduction to autism spectrum disorder
• Young athletes coaching course
• Creating a positive experience in gymnastics for participants with autism