The national Special Olympics competition, being held in Lincoln starting this weekend, are special indeed — not just to the athletes from all over the country who compete but also to all men, women and children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and to their friends, relatives and loved ones.
The event goes far beyond sports.
It is the Games, of course, that are out front. Some 3,000 athletes will vie for honors in 13 Olympic-style sports, among them swimming, soccer, track and field, volleyball and powerlifting. Flag football will be offered for the first time to honor the national Games’ location in Husker territory.
Athletes’ coaches, 1,000 strong, their friends and family, about 15,000 people, and an estimated 30,000 fans will fill Nebraska’s capital city.
Competition for any Olympic hopeful is thrilling, intense and a dream come true. But at the Special Olympics USA National Games, the contestants get more. People with mental disabilities can often be left out of the mainstream, consigned to the wayside as life hurries by.
But this kind of program means they have the same chances as anyone else to strive, to try, to grapple with others. To feel the satisfaction of personal accomplishment. To know that one’s own efforts, the sweat and hours of training, are what counts most.
In addition to the Games themselves, associated events are highlighting important topics. A conference at UNO will focus on how educators can increase their knowledge and skills in helping students with intellectual disabilities. The role of sports will be one topic appropriately explored.
Meanwhile, at UNMC, a symposium on Saturday explored health tangents relating to the developmentally disabled.
J. Michael Liebowitz, director of UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, notes that in 1995, Games organizers realized that the competitors often lacked basic health care screenings. Health checks are now standard, and untreated vision, dental and health problems are treated.
UNMC’s Colleges of Dentistry and Allied Health are among those providing health services this year.
The extent of health problems can be startling, Liebowitz tells The World-Herald. In 1995, some 85 percent of the cognitively impaired athletes had problems with visual acuity, 68 percent had gingivitis and 27 percent hadn’t seen a doctor in three years.
Those involved with the Games would like to say that the health of their charges has improved in the 15 years since the Special Olympics began using health screenings, Liebowitz said, but, sadly, that is not the case.
Many mentally challenged people see pediatricians well into adulthood, he said, probably because of the nature of their disabilities. But pediatricians aren’t necessarily clued in to the problems these special adults can have.
Another problem is paying for care in light of Medicaid cuts and rising insurance costs.
The Games themselves, meanwhile, are a showcase for Lincoln and Nebraska as well as for the athletes. Lincoln leaders have been preparing for the Games, the largest multisport event in the history of the state, since 2007, when the venue was chosen.
Some 11,000 people volunteered to handle everything from guiding visitors from event to event to hugging athletes as they finish their events. Organizers had to turn away 6,000 volunteers because there weren’t enough jobs for them to do.
Lincoln has done remarkable work in anticipation of the Games, mobilizing people throughout the community. Businesses donated more than $4 million to help pay the bills. The state pledged $1 million, and Nebraska’s congressional delegation helped secure $3.5 million in federal funding.
Private and corporate contributions came from Lincoln and across the country. All of the events are free.
The Special Olympics celebrates the abilities — not the disabilities — of its participants. It demonstrates the capacity of sports to unite people, to educate and inform. It displays the true skills, courage and achievements of people with cognitive disabilities. And it is welcome indeed.
Let the Games begin.
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