Week 16- The future of the Special Olympics

            The future of the Special Olympics as a social movement is promising.  As an expanding international non-profit, the Special Olympics establishment as an American organization has provided it a strong foundation.  Its scale of expansionism is astounding in all dimensions of growth, particularly with its spread to the international community.  Predominantly noteworthy is the continued preservation of the organization at a local level.  The success and demand for Special Olympic activities has created a sense of internalization in regards to the acceptance and promotion of athleticism for the intellectually disabled community. 

Week 15- Inspired by the innocence of children

Blog 15

My second day volunteering with the Special Olympics was fantastic.  This event, the LAUSD school games, was held at Compton City College.  Focusing on the same track and field events as my last experience, I got to work with kids again.  This event consisted of 300+ athletes and had different procedures in order to accommodate the large number of competitors.

As a seasoned awards coordinator, I was placed in the same bullpen again.  Although running a different venue would have been nice, like a time keeper or check in coordinator, I was happy to get to pass out awards again.  Who doesn’t want the fun job right??

Anyway, the differences in protocol for managing the event completely voided my complaints from my previous experience.  This time the kids were given a large card with the number they placed right at the bullpen of the event.  Then they were led together as a group to the awards tent led by an awards coordinator and given their ribbons immediately.  This event was also facilitated by utilizing two awards booths at each end of the field.  One handled relays while the other focused on individual races. 

Working for this event was fantastic.  The most inspiring thing happened actually.  In a particular heat, there were four of five little boys running against each other.  One boy lost his shoe soon after the starter gun went off.  Without thinking, another little boy stopped and waiting for him to get his shoe back on- sportsmanship at its finest.  I don’t think there was dry eye in sight.  Very sweet.

Week 14- Getting to work with the Special Olympics

     Last week I finally got to participate in my first event with the Special Olympics.  It was the Long Beach Unified School District Games held at Cabrillo High School.  The daylong event consisted of mainly of track and field events with school age athletes- generally elementary and high school aged students. 

Prior to the event, Brandon, emailed all the scheduled volunteers to notify them of their positions along with a few reminders and directions.  I appreciated the email very much.  It gave me a sense of order and preparedness and further indicated that the event would be properly organized and well run.  In addition to notifying me that I would be working as an “awards coordinator” and providing me an overview of my responsibilities for the day, Brandon additionally enclosed a reminder on proper etiquette in working with special needs individuals.  He writes,

             

WORKING WITH SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES:

            People with intellectual disabilities and those without intellectual disabilities are more alike than different. If you're unsure of how to respond to a person with an intellectual disability, ask yourself how you would want someone to treat you. Both adults and children compete in Special Olympics events. Adults should be treated as adults. Use the term "athletes" when speaking about our competitors. Talk with the athletes the same way you would with anyone else. Use conversational tone and eye contact. Let the person  know that you are interested in him or her.

             Most of the athletes you will meet are very friendly and will enjoy your attention, but it is             also important to encourage appropriate behavior. Behavior that is not appropriate among persons WITHOUT disabilities is also not appropriate among persons WITH disabilities.  Enjoy the interactions that are part of the Special Olympic experience, but don't be afraid to establish limits.

     I admit that I hadn’t considered this scenario.  Obviously I knew I would be interacting with people with disabilities, but I suppose I did not expect to experience the level of interaction that my position would entail.  I consider myself to be a politically correct, and a morally kind individual, regardless, I found the prompt to be very helpful and found myself going back to the reminder at least once during the day.  It was a lesson that not all unkind actions are due to callousness, but also due to unpreparedness and thoughtlessness.

I arrived at Cabrillo High School at 7:30am, earlier than I like to wake.  After a wrong turn and a lovely self guided tour through the port of Long Beach, I finally found my way to the location.  I felt the arrival time was a bit early, as after setting up a shade canopy, I was left with nothing to do for about an hour.  However, better safe than sorry.  It seems that seasoned volunteers arrive later just prior to the start of the games, while new volunteers are expected early to set up chairs and what not.  This seems fair enough, except there was some confusion as the other volunteer and I believed it would just be the two of us and were left to attempt to strategize and decipher the detailed instruction binder on running the awards station.  But alas, the experienced volunteers arrived and we received detailed instruction on our duties. 

     The event began on time with a fairly large attendance from what I understand.  As awards coordinator, my position took some time to get going as the kids needed to compete first, but sure enough, we were busy before we knew it.  I did a mix of multitasking at the tent.  It’s a bit hard to describe but I basically “made” the awards (affixed a sticker to the back of the ribbon and put a safety pin on it,) accepted the event scoring sheets from the runners coming from each event station, and then helped with the staging of the kids for the presentation of their awards.  Sounds easy enough, but it certainly got hectic.  Namely because the athletes in each heat would compete and then arrive at the awards tent at varying times.  And due to the nature of some of the kid’s disabilities, it was unreasonable to have them waiting for the entire group to arrive for the ceremony or make it to the tent in a hurry as many had physical disabilities as well.  Therefore numerous ceremonies were incomplete.  Although I don’t think this was a negative issue really.  One unfortunate problem at times, though, was because it got so hectic, some athletes ended up sitting in the staging area for long periods- and even worse, after their names had been called.  I think the confusion could be relived with the use of multiple scoring sheets from each of the separate event stations.  Carbon copies would be a great idea.  This would allow for one sheet to go directly to the record book, one to the coordinator handling awards, and one to address late arrivals on whether or not their names had been called.  However, I assume any non-necessary expenses for a non-profit organization would be difficult to justify.  The system does work adequately; although carbon copied sheets would contribute to a better flow and create a more enjoyable experience for the volunteers (thus encouraging returns) and athletes all around. 

     I would have to say my favorite aspect of the day was meeting the children.  Seeing the smiles on their faces and joy they experienced was unbelievably gratifying.  Many were so proud of themselves that they didn’t want to leave the staging area when they got their ribbons.  The sweetness of the kids certainly affected me.  I can see how ongoing volunteerism is the norm for the Special Olympics.  I admit, that although the program needs hands on helpers, I would really rather just work as a spectator and cheer on the kids.  It was too fun.

     The lunch provided was great.  Good chips. 

Week 13- Founding of the Special Olympics

During the 1960s, the United States was entrenched in an era of great changes.  The Civil Rights Movement, based on the ideals of equality and representation for minorities reflected the need for a program to address those with intellectual disabilities.  Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, the organization sought to promote a healthier understanding of the intellectually disabled.  Shriver’s younger sister, Rosemary Kennedy was said to be intellectually disabled.  As social norms and understanding of special needs at the time were lacking and misguided, those with intellectual disabilities faced difficult lives as misrepresented outcasts.  Following the belief system of the mid 1900s, Rosemary’s father, Joseph Kennedy, subject her to a brain lobotomy at age 23 in hopes of “curing” her condition.  Sadly, the procedure left her permanently incapacitated.  Possibly a catalyst for Shriver’s contributions to the field, she sought supported a concept of physical involvement in combination with organized competition. 

From the 1968 single event, the Special Olympics has grown from the first games consisting of 1,000 American and Canadian athletes competing in a single day event to the world’s largest sports organization comprised of 3.7 million athletes.  With offices in more than 170 countries, this successful growth has led to training and competitions held on a daily basis worldwide for children and adult competitors with varying forms of intellectual disabilities.  Awarded the use of the official Olympic name by the US Olympic committee only three years after its founding, the Special Olympics grew with remarkable momentum.  With this momentum, followed the first Special Olympics game held outside the United States, in Dublin, Ireland in 2003.  On a similar schedule as the International Olympic Committee games, the next Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in Pyeong Chang, South Korea in Jan. 29-Feb. 6, 2013. The next Special Olympics World Summer Games will be in Los Angeles, Calif., USA in July 2015.[1]

In addition to the incredible contributions to the intellectually disabled community on the local and social levels, the Special Olympics has additionally served as a source of power for political activism.  Most notable is the 2004, "Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act," Public Law 108-406. The bill authorized funding for its Healthy Athletes, Education, and Worldwide Expansion programs.  Additionally the 2008 formation of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign to encourage individuals to stop using the word "retard" in everyday speech had been extremely successful in bringing political correctness to the misuse of sensitive discourse.[2]

Today the Special Olympics has proven to be an integral aspect of the intellectually disabled community.  The social cohesion, support networks, and healthy lifestyle the program offers are meaningful to all participant, athletes, families, and volunteers.

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[1]“About,” Special Olympics, http://www.specialolympics.org/ (accessed April 25, 2012).

[2]“Special Olympics.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Olympics (accessed April 20, 2012).

Week 12- Stranger Danger and battered women

Yesterday (April 17, 2012), I had the opportunity of hosting my daughter’s girl scout troop meeting.  While each child’s parent is responsible for one meeting each season, I will still consider it an opportunity to share my bit of wisdom.  Anyway, most mothers do things like tea parties, pillow making, or candle dipping.  I am not one of those mothers.  And not in a “I’m too cool to be crafty” kind of way.  More like, “I wish I were that cool, but not, kind of way.”

So having to come up with an idea that would satisfy my need for some type of achievement and Sam’s request that “it can’t be something lame” I decided on an empowerment forum dedicated to stranger danger.

Personal safety is a huge issue.  My daughter and her fellow pre-teens have begun walking to school.  They also love crossing the street on Wednesdays after school to the local farmers market.  Or getting dropped off at the movie theatre.  Of course, they’re always in groups, but nothing stresses me out more than knowing that my daughter is out in public sans adult supervision.  Every time she goes off to an activity, I give her the rules.  But of course, I realize she’s 11.  Oops, 12 as of last week.  I remember arguing with my mom as a teenager and angrily declaring, “I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”  My mother responded with, “It’s other people I don’t trust.”  Maybe when Sam’s older, I could believe that, but honestly, I really just don’t trust her.

So with the aid of my CSULB Lt. police officer friend, his Sergeant, and the ridiculously buff self defense instructor from the Wellness Center, I set out to empower and at the very least, educate girlscout troop 4671 on stranger danger.  The topic is particularly interesting and ironically well timed, as we just did a study on the Battered Women’s Movement last week.  And while the two topics are far from being the same, they are certainly related. 

A major argument among battered women’s advocates is the fine line between victim and survivor.  Victimization of the person lends to the belief that the perpetrator has all the control.  However, it is important to consider the role the victim had in enabling the act or acts.  This is not to say, that women ask for such behavior. But in the recovery aspect, the battered individual is forced to reflect all roles within the relationship.  There is ultimately one thing for certain in nearly all these cases.  Prevention is key.  While not always guaranteed and as everyone knows the rule of hindsight, confident and empowered women (individuals) are far less likely to fall prey to such unfortunate relationships.  

This is where the girlscouts come into play.  The meeting we had focused on awareness of potentially dangerous situations, response tactics, including self defense in the event of a physical altercation (our poor instruction must have bruises all over his legs today).  The underlying message though, is don’t allow yourself to become a victim- either in a singular incident or a span of a relationship.  Yesterday, I watched my daughter learn how to fight her way out of a corner, learn the protocol if a best friend is attacked (she should not try to physically save her), and even how to humanize herself in a worst case scenario.  As a parent, I hate to expose my 12 year old to these realties when she still plays kitty kat with her two year sister.  But I admit I slept better know that she isn’t afraid to stand up for herself.  And that confidence is the foundation to lessening the chances of ever being a victim.   

Here is a link to an interesting Dateline story regarding stranger danger.

http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/11/11143341-my-kid-would-never-do-that-stranger-danger?lite