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The everyday Olympics: an introduction to the many faces of Special Olympics

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The everyday Olympics: an introduction to the many faces of Special Olympics

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Content THE EVERYDAY OLYMPICS:
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MANY FACES OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS
by
William Seymour
__________________________________________________________________
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
August 2013
Copyright 2013 William Seymour
2
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to my committee chairman Alan Abrahamson for suggesting this line of
inquiry; it’s led to a fascinating and informative year. Dr. William Morgan and Dr. Dan
Durbin also contributed to this project with ideas and editing. The faculty and staff at the
Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism have all been supportive and
accommodating throughout my Specialized Journalism program.
3
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 2
Abstract 4
The Everyday Olympics: An Introduction to the Many Faces of Special Olympics 5
References 20
4
Abstract
Special Olympics International has a goal of serving 200 million people around the world
who have intellectual disabilities (ID). Despite working in more than 170 countries, Special
Olympics works in relative obscurity for an organization of its size and scope. Many people
access Special Olympics through the sporting events it organizes, but there are more facets to
the movement’s advocacy and activity. Special Olympics provides health screenings in an
attempt to address the gap in health outcomes between people with ID and the general
population. Special Olympics is partnering with schools to reach younger potential athletes
and spokespeople. These youth leaders will hopefully work to foster a more inclusive
environment in their schools and communities. Adapted physical therapy and an emphasis on
Unified Sports, where people with and without ID play as teammates, are other avenues for
this school outreach. Adult Special Olympics athletes are also interviewed to explore what
competition means for them and how Special Olympics has improved their lives on and off
the field.
5
The Everyday Olympics:
An Introduction to the Many Faces of Special Olympics
Every Olympics has a beginning and an end. Millions paid rapt attention to the
competitions in Athens, Torino, Beijing and London, but apart from the preparations of the
next organizers and athletes, the Olympic flame lies dormant most of the time. Not so the
Special Olympics.
This worldwide organization, serving the needs of people with intellectual disabilities
and their families, always has something going on. Four million people now compete under
the Special Olympics banner - - spread throughout more than 170 countries. (Special
Olympics International 2012)That’s 50,000 competitions each year, ranging from local events
to the 2013 World Winter Games in South Korea. These competitions are the focal points of
the Special Olympics movement, but there’s a lot of serious work being done outside the
lines. Many large SO competitions provide health screenings at the venue in a variety of
health disciplines, from podiatry to hearing and dental work. (Special Olympics 2012d)
Apart from helping to provide these valuable services, Special Olympics also wields
an advocacy arm that wants to improve all aspects of life for people with intellectual
disabilities (ID). These education and community-building efforts are happening from the top
down, by lobbying for governmental policies, and from the bottom up, working on the ground
around the world to inform and change attitudes regarding people with ID. (Corbin 2012)
Special Olympics keeps working after the last race is run and the last medal has been
awarded. Rather than every two of four years, Special Olympics is happening every day, in
places near and far.
“If you have a body, you’re an athlete.” (Lipsey 2006)
6
This maxim, from legendary track and field coach Bill Bowerman, is especially
applicable to Special Olympics, not only because of its focus on what athletes can do rather
than their limitations, but also because track and field is far and away the organization’s most
popular sport. One in three Special Olympics athletes participate in some track and field
event, just one of the 28 official sports under the SO banner. (Special Olympics International
2012)
There are also programs offering relatively new or regionally popular sports that don’t
yet have the requisite broad participation to be tagged as an official sport. Examples include
cricket, flag football and triathlon. With all the different options to compete at different points
around the world, the hope is every athlete will find an outlet suited for his or her particular
skill set.
Special Olympics competitions, even at the local level, are complicated affairs. Much
of this complexity stems from the fact that SO is always trying to satisfy two seemingly
contradictory tenets: equality and excellence. The first of these is enshrined in the practice of
what is called “divisioning,” where athletes are grouped with those of similar ability in an
attempt to foster a more equal competition. (Needham 2012) At last year’s North American
Invitational Golf Tournament, athletes were able to choose a competition; nine or 18 holes,
and either playing alone or with a partner. Within these different events, athletes were further
divided into smaller groups with players with similar scores from previous competitions.
(Special Olympics 2012b)
All of these different reference groups can be hard to keep track of, perhaps one
reason Special Olympics competitions don’t receive a lot of notice from mainstream sports
media. These arrangements aren’t easy to explain and the idea that one gold medal is just as
7
valuable as another, even when won by someone displaying less athletic skill, runs contrary to
conventional ideas of excellence.
At the same time, though there may be many gold medals awarded at a competition,
not everybody gets one. Promoting equal divisions is one strategy to ensure Special Olympic
athletes engage not only in competition, but meaningful completion. This is also achieved by
giving athletes opportunities to improve their skills and maximize their abilities.
One such athlete working hard for excellence is Travis Hunter, a 23-year-old from
Chesapeake, Va. Hunter was selected to be a part of the Team USA delegation to this year’s
World Winter Games. Hunter, a speed skater, isn’t content with just being on the ice at the
pinnacle of Special Olympics competition.
“He’s been working and working and working since his name was drawn,” coach
Marjorie Loya said. “He’s the most prepared athlete I’ve sent to a major competition.” (Loya
2012)
Hunter puts his motivation more simply: “I like to go fast.” (T. Hunter 2012)
To help Hunter and his teammates reach their top speeds, Team USA gathered at team
camp in December 2012 held in Lake Placid, N.Y., site of some of America’s most
exceptional winter sports achievements. The camp had two main purposes; first, to introduce
the athletes, coaches and staff to one another, second, to be able to provide specialized
instruction to the athletes prior to the World Games a few weeks later in Korea.
Hunter, for instance, had never before had the opportunity to learn from a dedicated
speed skating coach. (Loya 2012) Of course, not everyone gets the chance to compete at a
World Games, even among those who might possess the skills necessary to compete at that
8
high level. Hunter earned his place after being chosen in a lottery open to gold-medal winners
from a Virginia state competition. (D. Hunter 2012)
Berths in other competition have to be divvied up as well. For the Trans-Tasman
tournament, a joint event of Special Olympics New Zealand and Australia, athletes from the
latter country undergo a skills assessment to qualify for the event, but all athletes who
competed in a prior year are ruled out in order to give the experience of international
competition to more athletes. (Nixon 2012)
Participation at the Summer Games put on by Special Olympics Southern California is
limited by the amount of accommodation available for the two-day event. Each region
participating in the Games has to make a decision how best to distribute the berths allotted to
them. (Lara 2012) Competition over scarce resources brings about conflict between Special
Olympics; two main sporting directives, equality of opportunity and promotion of excellence.
One way to relive that tension is to acquire more resources. Points of emphasis for
Special Olympics in the near future include utilizing technology to deliver more knowledge to
coaches and athletes in addition to developing partnerships with other sports organizations in
order to, in the words of an internal SO goal document, “create a universal culture of high
expectations & sports excellence that enhances the athletic experience & maximizes
individual achievement.” (Special Olympics 2012c)
At the same time, Special Olympics is working to address the other side of the coin by
pushing expansion of its programs such as Unified Sports, where people with ID compete
alongside teammates without ID, and its Young Athletes program, which is geared for
children ages 2-7. (Special Olympics 2012c)
9
Special Olympics, then, will continue to try to serve both imperatives at the same time,
giving as many people as possible the chance to play while preserving the meaning and
integrity of the pursuit of excellence for all.
While Special Olympics is perhaps best known for nourishing the competitive spirit of
its athletes, caring for the physical bodies of its participants is also part of its mission. In
2011, Special Olympics organizations around the world organized 765 clinics and conducted
nearly 117,000 screenings for athletes. These screenings cover seven different areas: vision,
hearing, oral health, healthy lifestyles, general fitness, podiatry, and sports physicals. (Special
Olympics International 2012)
These efforts are a first step in SO’s broader goal of closing the gap in health
outcomes between people with ID and the population at large. People with intellectual
disabilities are more likely to suffer from preventable and chronic diseases and have a shorter
life expectancy than the general population worldwide. (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services 2002)
A 2003 study spearheaded by Special Olympics, conducted with athletes participating
at that year’s World Summer Games, found significant deficiencies in the health of many
athletes. Nearly a third of the athletes screened failed a hearing test. That rate is up to six
times higher than the general population. (Corbin, Changing Attitudes Changing the World
2005)
Just over a third, meanwhile, showed signs of tooth decay and the prevalence of actual
tooth pain was again about six times higher than employed adults in the United States. One-
third of the athletes required corrective eyewear; half received eyewear for the first time. Half
10
of the athletes screened had one or more foot diseases or conditions. (Corbin, Changing
Attitudes Changing the World 2005)
Dustin Plunkett wasn’t too far from becoming a part of an even bleaker statistic. The
31-year-old California native went to a Healthy Athletes dental screening in 2004. That
screening sent Plunkett to see a doctor immediately. A full examination later revealed oral
cancer.
Plunkett’s dentist estimated the cancer was a month away from spreading to other
parts of his body. (Plunkett 2012)
“Special Olympics saved my life,” Plunkett said.
Plunkett has more than repaid Special Olympics for that life-saving diagnosis. He’s
something of an ambassador at-large for Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC). He
tells his story at fundraisers and relates his passion for Special Olympics, which he calls his
“second family,” to volunteers. As a Special Olympics International Global Messenger,
Plunkett has helped spread the word about Special Olympics around the world.
One episode of travel saw Plunkett sharing a stage with NBA All-Star Yao Ming at the
opening ceremonies of the 2008 Special Olympics Summer World Games. (Plunkett 2012)
Yao is hard to beat in terms of star power, but Plunkett has shared a stage with
someone who might just have the edge on the seven-footer. Plunkett was on hand with former
President Clinton when Tom Golisano pledged $12 million to expand Special Olympics
health initiatives around the world at the meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in
September 2012.
Apart from being used to establish additional Healthy Athlete clinics, the gift will also
be used to begin a program called Healthy Communities in seven countries and six U.S.
11
states. These new communities will tackle more acute health problems such as malaria,
tuberculosis and waterborne diseases such as cholera. (Special Olympics 2012e)
Making these resources available to people with ID is a huge challenge. Special
Olympics estimates millions of people with intellectual disabilities don’t, or can’t, access
quality healthcare. This may be because they lack the resources to acquire care, an inability to
travel to it, or are simply unaware of its existence or a need to seek care. (Mungo 2012)
Expanding health services for people with intellectual disabilities requires an increase
in health care providers trained to treat this particular type of client.
Dr. Richard Mungo, clinical director for SOSC’s Special Smiles program, the dental
arm of the regional Healthy Athletes effort, said that hesitation on the part of providers to
accept people with disabilities as patients can be a products of a fear of the unknown. “One of
the problems is, we’re afraid of the patient,” Mungo said. “If you’re not exposed to (treating
this population) it’s rare that you’re going to treat them.”
The training provided to Healthy Athletes volunteers and especially students who
participate through college and university medical programs can be helpful in overcoming
that fear. Approximately 5,000 health care providers will get that training thanks to the
Golisano gift. (Special Olympics 2012e)
This new influx of trained practitioners is sorely needed. Despite the vital information
and services being dispensed, Special Olympics says the usage rate of these services among
its athletes is under 4 percent - or one in 20. (Special Olympics International 2012) Part of the
cause for this less than overwhelming utilization is the fact that these screenings are usually
only offered in combination with major athletic events.
12
While a team of volunteers may conduct hundreds of screenings over the course of a
weekend event, if an athlete is unwilling or unable to attend a major competition, he or she
might not have another opportunity to receive a possibly important screening.
Tying screenings to large competitions also has the effect of making these health
efforts intermittent. An athlete who is already in the 4 percent accessing these services might
only attend one or two in a given year. (Seckel 2012) That’s better than nothing, as illustrated
by stories like Plunkett’s, but his outlook might have been much different if the screening had
taken place one month after his cancer began to spread rather than one month before.
Dr. Stephen Corbin, senior vice president of community impact at Special Olympics
International, and author of the 2003 study, knows better than anyone the important role that
Special Olympics can play in someone’s life.
“People (unfamiliar with Special Olympics) may say, ‘Oh, what a nice program!,’”
Corbin said. “We’re not just nice, we deal with life-and-death situations, not just through
sport. There’s a lot more there than meets the eye.” Being nice, or more accurately, promoting
respect for people with intellectual disabilities is one of the missions that lie under the surface
of Special Olympics competitions.
“Perceptions of people with ID are generally inaccurate,” Dr. Corbin said. “People
tend to overestimate the level of disability and the challenges that person faces.”
To correct these misapprehensions, Special Olympics is focusing on a population in
which any errors are not as firmly entrenched.
“We’ve targeted a lot of efforts to young people and schools,” Corbin said. “(Young
people) have the same challenges, but they’re more open to change.”
13
Nearly two-thirds of Special Olympics athletes worldwide are age 21 or younger,
creating plenty of opportunities for engagement within the school system, the venue in which
many athletes are introduced to the program. (Special Olympics International 2012)
Instead of focusing solely on recruiting more athletes with ID, Special Olympics is
now working to get whole schools involved, both on and off the field. In the United States,
the flagship program for these efforts is Project UNIFY. This national push, which began in
2008 with funds from the U.S. Department of Education, has a lot on its plate.
There are local chapters of a campaign to end the use of the r-word, a term for people
with intellectual disabilities some find offensive and efforts to promoting support for Special
Olympics athletes in the stands during competitions. (Johnson 2013)
In the Los Angeles Unified School District, Project UNIFY is involved in providing
adapted physical education to children with intellectual disabilities, many of whom also have
physical disabilities. The adapted P.E. is targeted at improving gross motor skills, locomotor
skills and balance. A 2013 review of the results from several elementary schools in the district
showed students who spent eight weeks in the program displayed a minimum of six months’
worth of improvement. (Martin 2013)
UNIFY also encourages students to form partnerships that include people with and
without ID, partnerships that perhaps can take the lead in fostering change within their local
communities or come up with strategies that can be applied more broadly.
Sports are a great place to start making those kinds of partnerships. For Devanshi
Mehta, a junior at Beckman High School in Irvine, Calif., a love of soccer provided a way to
reach out and connect with people with intellectual disabilities. Mehta, who plays on her
school varsity team as a forward and midfielder, founded a club at the beginning of the 2012
14
school year and in December organized an event in conjunction with the OC Tigers, a local
Special Olympics squad. Athletes and students worked and played together in short-sided
soccer games as well as skills challenges. (Mehta 2013)
“The experience as a whole was awesome,” Mehta said. “Both partners and athletes
had a great time. We’re hoping to grow the club more next year.”
A key goal of Project UNIFY is to engage young people with and without intellectual
disabilities in the aim of effecting change. Held simultaneously with this year’s World Winter
Games, the host city of Pyeongchang, South Korea, also hosted a Global Youth Activation
Summit. At this event, young people from around the world came together to kick around
strategies and receive training in community organization, messaging and the effective use of
social media. Similar events are planned elsewhere, albeit on a smaller scale. (Special
Olympics 2013)
Special Olympics is also working on the best ways to export Project UNIFY to the
other countries where it operates. (Corbin 2012)
A point of emphasis for Corbin and Special Olympics is a dialogue with media to add
more depth to portrayals of people with intellectual disabilities that too often utilize one of
two very different narratives.
“(The portrayals) tend to be radicalized,” Corbin said. “Either people with ID are
helpless or they are superhuman by overcoming their challenges.”
Perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities tend to gain more depth after first-
hand experience. People without ID have been forming those personal connections for
decades as coaches and volunteers, but Special Olympics is now hoping to expand
opportunities to forge partnerships as teammates through Unified Sports.
15
In Unified competition, people with and without intellectual disabilities compete with
one another against similarly composed teams and grouped with teams of similar ability as in
traditional Special Olympics events.
At the 2012 North America Invitational Softball Tournament, the Unified division
provided some of the closest and most exciting competition. The Illinois Independents fielded
a squad in the Unified competition, even though the league usually competes in conventional
Special Olympic competition. The local SO organization made the decision to assemble a
team quickly and take an open slot in the tournament created when another team dropped out.
(Needham 2012)
Long-time coach Barb Needham enjoyed the different dynamic created by Special
Olympics athletes playing together with people without intellectual disabilities.
“It worked exactly like it was intended,” she said. “It’s like a big family,”
If Special Olympics gets its wish, there will be many more lasting relationships
created between Unified teammate. SO International wants to double the number of Unified
athletes in its programs to one million by 2015. (Special Olympics 2012c)
At a deeper level, all these programs, initiatives and partnerships are working toward
the building of a community. There are many definitions of that term, but one that seems apt
for Special Olympics is a space where each person has the ability to enjoy and refine their
individual talents, for their own benefit as well as the benefit of others.
Andy Miyares is one person who has found such a space. First and foremost, Miyares
is a swimmer. His love for the water began before he was a year old, as a venue for physical
therapy to combat some of the complications stemming from Down syndrome. (Andy
Miyares 2012)
16
Miyares took to the pool as a natural.
““I was like a fish in the water,” Andy said. “I kept going towards the bottom, up and
down, up and down.”
It wasn’t long before Miyares went from going up and down in the pool to back and
forth, and quickly too.
He holds three Down Syndrome International Swimming Organization open-class
world records. A long-course 800-meter freestyle record has been in Miyares’ possession
since 2006, while marks in the long- and short-course 1,500 freestyle have remained on the
books since 2007 and 2008. (Down Syndome International Swimming Organization 2013)
At the first Special Olympics World Aquatics Meet held in Puerto Rico in September
2012, Miyares earned silver medals in the 100 free and butterfly events and added a bronze
medal in the 1,500 meter open water swim. (Special Olympics 2012a)
“He’s a natural, it’s like he was born to swim,” Miyares’ coach, Andrew Phillips, said.
“(He is) outgoing, lovable, an outstanding person, an outstanding human being.” (Phillips
2012)
Thanks to Special Olympics and other organizations, Miyares is a veteran
spokesperson as well as an athlete. Like Plunkett, Miyares is an International Global
Messenger, a small group of athletes who relate their experiences within Special Olympics
around the world.
In those speeches, Miyares emphasizes characteristics that define his life.
“(I speak about) courage and determination,” Miyares said.
17
Success breeds success. Being able to express himself physically in his natural
element earned Miyares the respect of teammates and coaches and supplied the opportunity
and confidence for him to develop his social skills as well.
Miyares, is, to use a trite but nonetheless important phrase, a contributing member of
society. He works, is a model teammate, has a girlfriend of 13 years and has aspirations of
becoming a certified USA Swimming official, a feat his mother Ana said would be a first for
an individual with Down syndrome.
“For us, it’s been a fairy tale, that he would become who he is,” Ana said. (Ana
Miyares 2012)
Not everyone can be an International Global Messenger – there are only 12 serving a
four-year term at any given time, but nearly 29,000 athletes participated in an Athlete
Leadership Program in 2011.
These programs are designed to help athletes succeed in their chosen activities outside
of competition. Common areas of focus are public speaking and expression as well as
preparation to take on coaching or other mentoring roles. There are athlete representatives on
many Special Olympics governing boards, called on to provide perspective on the best way to
allocate the organization’s resources.
Even though participation in these programs is growing, there is plenty of room for a
further increase; 29,000 athletes makes up less than one percent of Special Olympics’ global
total. (Special Olympics International 2012)
Plunkett, for one, recently rotated off the SOSC board of directors only to be
appointed to a seat on the organizing committee for the 2015 World Summer Games, set to be
held in his hometown of Los Angeles. (Shumard 2012) That event figures to be the biggest
18
sports event to occur in Los Angeles since the Olympic Games returned to the city in 1984.
Approximately 7,000 Special Olympics athletes will call L.A. home over the 10-day event.
Games organizers estimate they will need 30,000 volunteers to make the Games run
smoothly. An estimate conducted in early 2013 concluded the 2015 World Summer Games
would translate into $415 million in economic activity for the city. (Hamilton 2013)
All those numbers add up to one big opportunity to showcase Special Olympics to a
global audience.
Stephanie Rodriguez, LA2015 senior vice president for community relations and
volunteerism, summed up the goal for the Games this way: “We want a legacy of leaving a
lasting footprint that doesn’t go away.” (Rodriguez 2013)
To expand the organization’s reach, SO is always on the lookout for partnerships,
with governments, companies, groups and individuals. For Corbin, who is a point man for
locating potential alliances, there’s one thing he always looks for up front.
“There has to be an alignment with our mission,” he said. “Seeing people do better.
People who just want to do photo ops with our athletes are not good partners.”
So what is Special Olympics, exactly? Perhaps there isn’t a settled answer to that
question, and maybe that’s one of the best things about the organization.
There’s no one way to join, no one way to act, no one way to experience the thrill of
competition.
At the same time, there is something universal about sport that allows everyone to
relate to the efforts of the athletes, something that bypasses barriers of communication or
culture that may exist.
At its core, every Special Olympics activity is designed to transmit one message.
19
That message is: people with intellectual disabilities are here all around us, they
matter, and what they do, on the field and off, can and should, matter to everyone.
That was the message at the World Winter Games and it is the message at the smallest
event in the smallest hamlet halfway around the world. Special Olympics believes because all
people matter -- they deserve, as a matter of course, to be able to strive, struggle, fail, try
again, succeed and inspire others.
This imperative remains in force outside of competition as well. Special Olympics
says no one’s pursuit of excellence should be impeded by something as simple as a pair of
glasses, a hearing aid or something as serious as an oral cancer.
The people who work for and with Special Olympics believe people with ID deserve
to be understood as they are, not on the basis of presumption or caricature. The movement
wants people with and without ID to engage with one another on a personal level, and work
together to solve our common problems.
For many at a Special Olympics event, these beliefs are on display each time a Special
Olympics athlete goes out to compete. Not everyone goes home with a gold medal but by
making the decision to participate, these athletes make themselves just that much better, not
only in sport, but in life.
The hope is each competition serves as an object lesson to show people a better world
is possible and they can help make it happen.
For athletes, coaches, administrators and volunteers, that’s a message too important to
be delivered every four years.
That’s why the Special Olympics are every day. Maybe somewhere near you.
20
References
Corbin, Stephen B. "Changing Attitudes Changing the World." Special Olympics. 2005.
http://www.specialolympics.org/uploadedFiles/LandingPage/WhatWeDo/Research_St
udies_Desciption_Pages/policy_paper_Health.pdf.
Corbin, Stephen B. (Senior Vice President, Community Impact for Special Olympics).
Telephone interview with author, December 18, 2012.
Down Syndome International Swimming Organization. T21 Short Course. March 4, 2013.
http://www.dsiso.org/144475899.
Hamilton, Walter. Los Angeles Times: 2015 Special Olympics will boost Los Angeles County
economy. February 14, 2013. http://www.la2015.org/article/los-angeles-times-2015-
special-olympics-will-boost-los-angeles-county-economy.
Hunter, Diane. (SOVA Parent). Telephone interview with author, November 27, 2012.
Hunter, Travis. (SO Speed Skater). Telephone interview with author, November 27, 2012.
Johnson, Sydney. (Project UNIFY Coordinator). Telephone interview with author, February
22, 2013.
Lara, Michael. (SO Sports Director, San Luis Obispo). Telephone interview with author,
October 5, 2012.
Lipsey, Richard A. The Sporting Goods Industry: History, Practices and Products. Jefferson,
N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2006.
Loya, Marjorie. (Coach, SOVA). Telephone interview with author, November 27, 2012.
Martin, Dawn. (Adapted Physical Education Teacher). Telephone interview with author, April
12, 2013.
Mehta, Devanshi. (UNIFY Volunteer). Telephone interview with author, April 9, 2013.
Miyares, Ana. (Parent, SO Florida). Telephone interview with author, October 13, 2012.
Miyares, Andy. (SO Global Messenger). Telephone interview with author, October 13, 2012.
Mungo, Richard. Director, (SOSC Healthy Smiles). Telephone interview with author,
November 7, 2012.
Needham, Barb. (Coach, Illinois Independents). Telephone interview with author, September
28, 2012.
21
Nixon, Sharon. (National Manager for Communications and Brand at Special Olympics
Australia). Telephone interview with author, October 6, 2012.
Phillips, Andrew. (Coach, SO Florida). Telephone interview with author , October 19, 2012.
Plunkett, Dustin. (SO Global Messenger). Telephone interview with author, October 25, 2012.
Rodriguez, Stephanie. (Senior vice president for community relations and volunteerism,
LA2015). Interview with author, Los Angeles, California February 28, 2013.
Seckel, Laura. (Assistant Vice President, Human Resources and Volunteer Services, SOSC).
Telephone interview with author, November 6, 2012.
Shumard, Bill. (CEO, SOSC). Telephone interview with author, October 24, 2012.
Special Olympics International. "2011 Special Olympics Reach Report." Special Olympics.
2012. http://media.specialolympics.org/soi/files/resources/Communications/Annual-
Report/2011ReachReportFINAL_07_10_12.pdf.
Special Olympics. Miyares. September 13, 2012a. http://www.specialolympics.org/games-
search.aspx?GamesID=4614&searchterm=miyares.
—. National Invitational Tournament 2012. September 9, 2012b.
http://www.specialolympics.org/Games/2012_North_America_Golf_Invitational_Tou
rnament.aspx.
—. "Real Sports." Washington, D.C.: (Unpublished internal document, provided via
electronic mail) 2012c.
—. Special Olympics Global Youth Summit. Febuary 13, 2013.
http://www.specialolympics.org/globalyouthsummit.aspx.
—. "Sustaining Athlete Health." Washington D.C.: (Unpublished internal document, provided
via electronic mail) 2012d.
—. Tom Golisano Gives $12 million to Expand Special Olympics Health Services Worldwide.
September 23, 2012e.
http://www.specialolympics.org/Press/2012/Golisano_Donation_to_Healthy_Athletes.
aspx.
"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." Closing the Gap: A National Blueprint to
Improve the Health of Persons with Mental Retardation. 2002.
http://staging.specialolympics.org/uploadedFiles/LandingPage/WhatWeDo/Research_
Studies_Desciption_Pages/surgeongenerals_report_closing%20the%20gap.pdf.
22

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Special Olympics International has a goal of serving 200 million people around the world who have intellectual disabilities (ID). Despite working in more than 170 countries, Special Olympics works in relative obscurity for an organization of its size and scope. Many people access Special Olympics through the sporting events it organizes, but there are more facets to the movement’s advocacy and activity. Special Olympics provides health screenings in an attempt to address the gap in health outcomes between people with ID and the general population. Special Olympics is partnering with schools to reach younger potential athletes and spokespeople. These youth leaders will hopefully work to foster a more inclusive environment in their schools and communities. Adapted physical therapy and an emphasis on Unified Sports, where people with and without ID play as teammates, are other avenues for this school outreach. Adult Special Olympics athletes are also interviewed to explore what competition means for them and how Special Olympics has improved their lives on and off the field.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Seymour, William (author)

Core Title The everyday Olympics: an introduction to the many faces of Special Olympics

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Publication Date 07/22/2013

Defense Date 06/06/2013

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag intellectual disability,OAI-PMH Harvest,Special Olympics,Sport

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Abrahamson, Alan Y. (committee chair), Durbin, Daniel T. (committee member), Morgan, William J. (committee member)

Creator Email willseymour7@gmail.com,wseymour@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-294482

Unique identifier UC11293692

Identifier etd-SeymourWil-1809.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-294482 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-SeymourWil-1809-1.pdf

Dmrecord 294482

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Seymour, William

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA