Different, thats what we are !

Special Olympics

"Let me win and if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt" The motto of the Special Olympians. They are all winners in the end.

The movement started by Eunice Kennedy to integrate the world of special children with that of the normal children was seen to move the hearts of the Goan people in the recent times. A haul of medals! The appraisal of many! The recognition by the media and the public at large of the talents hidden and harnessed by the movement to give to the children that sense of joy and achievement which was otherwise not possible! Who had thought that these children were differently abled? All the world views today, is, a career; a large firm, a doctor or engineer; the options in an academic world are plenty. But what should we do with a child who is less gifted in the intellectual area? Hide the child from society or deny that the child has less intellectual ability? It was mentally inconceivable that parents of an affluent world could conceive one who had an IQ that was below the normal value. Besides there was a shame attached to the family in such a situation. That was the scene when the Special Olympics Movement had a start in Goa, India. Creating an awareness of the immense potential in these children, was a herculean task! This section of the lens pertains to Goa in India, but the situations in other parts of the developing world could be pretty much the same!

The movement of Special Olympics had its beginning in 1990 in Goa, although Eunice Kennedy Shriver had started the movement much before that in the U.S. In a developing world, getting the people to recognize the potential of the differently abled children was difficult when the focus is on the economy and wanting to use the maximum potential of those who have much to offer. Getting the parents and the public to believe that these mentally challenged children are as worthy as the normal children, is a challenge in itself. The public considered these children to be losers, a curse upon the parents and they were a suffering that they as parents had to endure, a cross they had to carry on, to their life's end. It was a shame to get them exposed to the public, what would the rest of society have to say? How will the presence of a special child in the family, affect the family name? It was best decided to keep these children indoors and not allow them to mix in society. They were not allowed to even meet up with the guests during functions.

A child is a child and keeping this child indoors because he / she had an intellectual ability less than some other, is criminal. In this world that is fast paced, parents and the family members have lost their emotional attachment to these kids. Bringing up kids with a reduced IQ would mean, they, as parents would have to spend more time with their children and look for other avenues where in the child excels. Do they have the time for this? Doing this, their net family income would suffer as one parent would have to be with the child to search for his talents, the gifts he is blessed with. Parenting the intellectually disabled child is definitely a challenge to the parents and should the challenged child be well placed in society and independent, I am sure the parenting job would be much more fulfilling!

All children are gifts. They have been gifted to the family to bring a cheer to the household. If we nurture and care for these gifts, be they geniuses or be they intellectually disabled, we are blessed. No one has the right to suppress them or exploit them. If a child is intellectually disabled, he/ she should be having a talent which has to be explored and honed so as to make the child independent in all aspects. Amidst other skills such as the various art forms, sports is one area where unity is experienced. Getting one involved in sports also develops one physically and keeps one mentally alert to experience joy in what could be a secluded life.

However, putting this across to parents of such children was a mammoth task. Parents want their children to be independent but cannot see the benefits of sports in that respect. What could sports offer kids like these? Would sports offer security in job? How long could they play these physical sports? The efforts of the then Sports and Area directors, through persuasion and persistence saw fruition in the organizing of the first athletic meet held at Campal and got the movement going underway under the banner of Special Olympics, Goa. The first meet had in all around a 100 participants. These kids then, had to be coerced into participating and the parents watching to see if anything would go wrong. But it did go well and the efforts were well appreciated. These children looked forward to the next meet and the next!

Subsequent meets were held and the participation numbers slowly increased. The children went to different states, different countries, started participating in more events. More schools emerged, more children started to go to school. The children began to be recognized. Government began to support this cause. Special Olympics became an event that the children looked forward to in their lives. Special Olympics became an event where their efforts got recognized, an event wherein they could give back their best in their little ways.

Their meets were such a treat to be watched. Even though these children, many of them over 40years of age, still participate in the events, they are like little kids on the field. There was one meet that saw a first place runner turn back on the tracks to pick up her co participant who had fallen after tripping on a stone. The two of them then ran hand in hand to complete the race. What comradeship!

The laurels they win are in plenty.. and how come this is possible with the special children? Why is it that the other kids do not succeed as well? I believe it is in the concept in Special Olympics. No child is made to feel unimportant. Every child is as important as the next. Even though the child may be more intellectually disabled than the other, his IQ level may be lower than the other, and he may be fatter than the other or physically less appeasing than the other. He is important. He is a God given gift, a gift to be cherished, a gift to be shared.The coaches identify the ability of the child and he or she is accordingly grouped. This makes the child want to give back to the coach what the coach gives to him. The only way he/she can do so is give his best performance. They go all out at the games to achieve laurels for themselves and their coaches. It is very touching to watch them in action and after they have performed. They get back to their coaches looking for appreciation and love. Hence these kids are not withheld a reward for performing. Although the first three positions are given medals, even the 8th position in the event is rewarded.

What does it take to be a part of this movement? A giving heart, a selfless devotion. It is estimated that around 3% of the population is mentally challenged. On the other side, it is easy to seek self gratification through these children. It is easy for people who are intellectually more abled to draw financial benefits through the achievements of these kids. And why go far, even parents draw mileage from these children. Hence the prime requirement to be a part of this movement is self less service. People who have devoted their time and money selflessly have helped the teams participate in many more games and events which were not available many years ago,from athletics where it is an individual effort to team events. Children have participated in winter games and summer games! They have earned laurels for themselves and their country.

Is this not a great foresight on the part of Eunice Kennedy ? Children who were at one time totally segregated from the public eye are now being drawn into society and there will come a day where these children will be integrated into society with integrated sports! This day is not far!

As an individual we are called to be a part of this movement. It is our social obligation to help uplift the community and help our brothers and sisters to hold their heads up high as we do ours. And how could we do that? It does not take much of an effort. The organization needs a lot of voluntary service..at the meets. The movement requires appropriate funding. If we only could put by a 1% of our earnings to help one child reach his goal, what an achievement that would be and what a way to help and feel gratified..let us all unite to make this world a better place for the abled and the less abled and may God be our guide!