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SOAP HOLDS INAUGURAL HEALTHY COMMUNITIES EXPO
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Special Olympics Asia Pacific held its first ever Healthy Communities Expo on 29- 30 Oct. The virtual event gathered close to 160 participants from healthcare providers, government agencies, partners, family members and athletes with intellectual disabilities for a two-day conference to discuss the healthcare status of persons with intellectual disabilities (PWIDs), and the initiatives needed to create greater access to quality healthcare for PWIDs and their communities.
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Despite severe need and higher health risks, PWIDs are often denied health services and die on average 16 years sooner than the general population as a result of undiagnosed and untreated conditions. With an estimated 200 million globally who have intellectual disabilities, PWIDs have continued to remain one of the most socially isolated and stigmatized groups, who do not enjoy equal opportunities and access to essential services such as education and healthcare.
Dipak Natali, President & Managing Director, Special Olympics Asia Pacific, shared, “Even before COVID-19 put tremendous pressure on health systems, many people with ID faced difficulty in accessing health services. Some have difficulty wearing masks or find it hard to understand why precautions are needed. Maintaining safe social distances are also tough for those living in congregate settings, such as group homes as well as those who require care from family members, aides, therapists or teachers.”
He added, “We believe that the issues they face can only be made better when we bring together the diverse players – from healthcare professionals, government ministries, businesses, families and PWIDs themselves together in the same forum – to take a forward step in making changes to our health systems to help this marginalised group.”
The Healthy Communities Expo 2021 focused on the importance of partnerships in creating and enabling access to quality healthcare for PWIDs. Through the two-day conference, participants engaged in panel discussions ranging from topics that sought to address the health disparities and inequalities faced by PWIDs to understanding first-hand the experiences and challenges faced by PWIDs from the accounts of athlete leaders within the Special Olympics organization. Individual countries from Thailand to Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea were also invited to speak on their approach to driving healthy communities within their own countries. |
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STRAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION
EXPANDS SUPPORT WITH
GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSION |
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Special Olympics and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation will expand the Play Unified: Learn Unified initiative into 22 countries, including the Asia Pacific region, to spread the impact of Unified Schools.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has committed over $8,500,000 USD to support and advance inclusion in education and sport over the next three years. This will allow Special Olympics to bring`Global Campaign for Inclusion
around the world into educational settings and the community —demonstrating that sustained social inclusion, achieving human rights and inclusive sustainable development for all demands not only high-quality practices, but also fostering enabling environments.
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CHRIS PRATT AND KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER NEWEST SPECIAL OLYMPICS GLOBAL AMBASSADORS |
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Actor Chris Pratt and author Katherine Schwarzenegger have been named the newest Special Olympics Global Ambassadors, joining the frontlines of the global movement for inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.
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The couple will focus largely on Special Olympics Unified Sports and Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming, which fosters climates of acceptance and inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in schools around the world.
Pratt begins filming Marvel Studios’
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in Atlanta in November, where he and Schwarzenegger will be involved with Unified programming in metro area schools, in addition to virtual engagements. The Marvel Studios team is committed to hiring a Special Olympics athlete for a Production Assistant position, who will be a fulltime, paid member of the film crew.
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TENNIS AUSTRALIA PARTNERS SO AUSTRALIA TO IMPROVE ACCESS |
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Tennis Australia has partnered with Special Olympics Australia to help improve access to tennis for people with intellectual disabilities and autism over the next four years.
The partnership aims to ensure the more than 850,000 Australians with an intellectual impairment or autism, is welcomed and offered a range of opportunities to experience the many benefits that tennis provides.
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The collaboration will focus on School programs and events, Coach development, Club engagement and Tournaments.
“Sport is a vital part of our Australian culture and this partnership between Tennis and Special Olympics is another way to increase access to participation and competitive opportunities for players with intellectual impairments and autism,” said Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley.
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VIRTUAL COMPETITIONS
CONTINUE ACROSS APAC |
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Special Olympics Thailand and Special Olympics Bharat are running their inaugural virtual Unified Football and Cricket Competitions respectively, supported by Special Olympics Asia Pacific.
The format requires athletes to showcase their skill through a recorded video, performing various skill components involved in the respective sports where they be judged by trained and certified referees who have had experiences with past unified competitions.
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Bangladesh, Bharat, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand will be taking part in Virtual Unified Cricket.
Men's teams from Bangladesh, Bharat, Cambodia, Indonesia,Laos, Pakistan, Samoa, Serendib and Thailand as well as Women's teams from American Samoa, Bharat, Indonesia, Pakistan, Samoa, Serendib and Thailand will be participating in the Virtual Unified Football competition.
Submissions are ongoing and results for both competitions will be announced mid-January.
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SO SINGAPORE ATHLETE FLORENCE
SHINES AT WORK, IN SCHOOL AND PLAY
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Special Olympics Singapore athlete leader Florence Hui was recently featured on Straits Times article with a focus on employment. She wears multiple hats - athlete, musician, employee and student. She is now a full-time staff at Uniqlo Singapore.
She enjoys her daily tasks, but what makes the job fulfilling are her colleagues, she shared in the article, "I enjoy the working environment in Uniqlo and making friends with the rest of the team members. The team treats me just like any other colleague. I especially love that my daily tasks at work are diverse and I get to contribute to the team in different ways."
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The skills Special Olympics athletes learn on the field are lessons they bring to the workplace. From leadership to teamwork, they are showing how valuable they can be as employees, proving that inclusion works.
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GO ON A ROAD TRIP WITH MAX & GRACE |
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Special Olympics New Zealand athlete Max and his sister Grace were featured recently in a Attitude TV series - My Perfect Family. The siblings head off on a road trip to Queenstown, which puts Max's independence to the test and challenges perceptions of what life looks like living with Down syndrome.
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