Special Olympic New Mexico Website Analysis

Last year was the first time I worked the Special Olympics, and I didn’t know what to expect. I signed up for it with my basketball team because the Special Olympians would be playing basketball and volunteers were needed to help run the scoreboard and keep time. Mr. Campbell, the man in charge, told me that the opportunity to play basketball will be an incredible experience for the special needs participants, but working the event will have an even greater affect on me. I was

With the help of teachers and my efforts, I have been successful and was even a recipient of an academic achievement award for students with a 3.6 GPA or higher. It is not always easy learning the materials, studying and placing my thoughts onto paper, yet I will continue to advocate for myself in any circumstance necessary. Despite having learning challenges in the classroom, it does not limit my activities outside of the classroom. I love to volunteer! One of my favorite activities includes being a volunteer buddy for the Miracle League of the Fox Valley. The Miracle League is a baseball organization for children and adolescents with physical and/or cognitive challenges. My role of a buddy is to assist my fellow buddy in any needs she may need, protect her from possible injuries and make sure she is having fun! I love having the opportunity of being a buddy, it has formed a forever lasting companionship and provided smiles that touch us all! Addition to the Miracle League, I’m a member of National Honor Society in which I volunteer in several community organizations to help better the community. I was honored to be selected as a Link Crew member. It has been one of my greatest opportunities to advocate for my peers with disabilities. This is a first time that Appleton North Link Crew created a program for students with physical and cognitive challenges to be included in a freshman transition program in

The sport is dangerous, but to this sports gives the athletes a purpose, a reason to continue living and not being depressed. Being a part of the team gives them so much more than just playing a sport. These athletes chose a different path than what we normally see in individuals who become quadriplegic, they chose to continue living and despite the sadness they found a new happiness They didn't think they would feel again. I also feel that this sports has helped most of the athletes with their emotional stability. It takes a great strength and endurance to compete the way these athletes do. Being a part of the team has helped their daily life. These athletes have become very independent; they drive themselves to practice they live on their own.

Sports can be viewed as a learning environment that helps individuals learn life lessons, foster strong work habits and develop core values all the while learning a sport skill. Youth sports that truly benefit young athletes should be structured to emphasize participation more than just competition. Children enjoy a sport more when they are able to have fun (Humpries). Despite many excesses some sport programs still manage to promote important virtues like self- confidence, teamwork, personal responsibility, coping skills, and persistence. Through sports kids can learn to stay organized and learn how to prioritize (Ferguson). Sports enables development of physical skills and increasing proficiency makes kids feel good about themselves. It teaches kids that failure is something to overcome and and not to fear (Meyerhoff 8-9). Youth sports has many aspects that are truly benefiting for children, but these benefits are slowly being clouded by the negatives that are prominent in today's youth sports.

It is not only about assembling people in a physically active way, it is about uniting an array of people whether disabled, healthy, or less fortunate into a larger community. I saw the effect of this idea of being part of a bigger community on those who participated in the Special Olympics as well as children at Wish Elementary School. Sport instills confidence as well as helps to develop the skills needed to cope with disappointment and defeat. This is what the industry provides and invokes in people without it even being consciously expressed. Growing up surrounded by this type of athletic, team-oriented atmosphere can instill an appreciation for and acknowledge the importance of sports as an individual and as a member of a greater

One thing almost every young child looks forward to is the activity of play. Kids love nothing more than to go outside, run around with friends, and get dirty. If children are already active at a young age, why not encourage them to continue by enrolling them in an organized youth sport program? Young people will gain many positive experiences by participating in organized physical activities, but none as important and influential as the social skills, physical skills, and mental skills developed and nurtured during their time in youth sport. As a result, the young participants can continue to build upon and cultivate these skills which will ultimately be transferred into their development as successful adults. Along with the social and

Everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Those with disabilities are no different they just have a different set then everyone else. I chose this project topic because in 5th and 6th grade I was part of a program called Peer Pals. Once a week during recess I volunteered in a special needs classroom. This work opened my eyes to the world of special needs and Peer Pals is one of the things I miss about elementary school. I realized that I needed to continue helping the special needs community. No solutions presented themselves and then one day the solution stared me in the face from it’s home in the Reston Community Center Program Guide. “Volunteer at the Adapted Aquatics Class,” I had found a solution to my problem.

I have been in a number of programs and extracurricular activities at Lincoln H.S. that helped me define my career goals and challenged me to the fullest. As I finish my journey from High School, I began to slowly realize that their was nothing tangible I had offered to this community, but I what I did offer was myself. Being on the Mustang Varsity team there was always this one person who showed me how to be the best tennis player. His name was David Dinh. David had shown me that their was more to tennis than winning the game, it was about having fun with your teammates/coaches and building relationships with others through a simple rally. His leadership skills and enthusiasm for this sport had influence my own perspective of

I have been a part of Best Buddies here at WKU since my first semester of college. Best Buddies is an organization that pairs college students with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies gives people with IDD the opportunity to get involved with things happening on campus. It also allows them to build different friendships. Through Best Buddies, I have had the opportunity to start volunteering my time at the Buddy House. The Buddy House is a place where people with Down syndrome can go to hang out with their friends. The Buddy House offers classes for all ages. They have literacy classes for elementary and middle grade students, adult skills classes, fitness for teens and adults, Zumba classes, and much more.

This event happens once a year and takes place at our high school stadium. Special needs kids come from all around my community to compete in events that best suit their physical or intellectual disabilities. It is truly astounding to see a whole community come together to support these kids. At this past year's Olympics I volunteered as a peer buddy and my responsibilities included walking my buddy, Luke, to his different events and making sure he was having a good time. Luke won first place in the ball throw and second place in the 100 meter dash. I loved seeing how happy he was when he was handed his ribbons and I was so fortunate to have been able to spend the day with

Before visiting the Hospital for Special Care Adaptive Sports Program in New Britain, I did not realize all the hard work that goes into working in the adaptive sports program. At first I thought the adaptive sports program was for people who had difficulties playing sport and nothing more. However, after visiting the site, I was completely wrong. The tour guide informed us that the facility purpose is to modify equipment in order for people with certain physical limitation to enjoy the sport comfortably. He informed us that the players do not participate because they have to, but because they love the sport in and of itself. From hearing everything the tour guide was telling the class, I feel the inner pride in him. I realized that he truly loves his job because of the fulfilment he helps the clients achieve, for example gaining friends they can call family and building their confidence.

East Stroudsburg University hosted the 2015 Eastern Fall Sectional Special Olympics Sunday, October 5th 2015. Many different events were held at venues throughout East Stroudsburg University’s campus. The Special Olympics was organized by SOPA and campus officials. The purpose of the Special Olympics was to bring together athletes with intellectual disabilities to showcase their talent by participating and competing in their skilled event/event’s.

Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the

This is done through after school programs and sumer camp run by staff who act as the club members’ mentors. My specific club also provided club members with supper, because I interned at a club in a impoverished area where not all of the children got steady meals at home. Through spending over 180 hours there, I got to see first hand just how realistic their goals were and whether or not they were achieved. I can honestly say that during my time spent there, I saw the club staff go above and beyond to achieve the goals that the organization has set forth. Without the club, countless of the club members wouldn't have anywhere to go after school, and would likely end up getting into trouble and/or suffering

Since the creation of man, sports have had a tremendous role in the way people live their lives. From the time we are born, until our elderly age, most of us are involved in some way with sports. Whether it is a scrimmage game of soccer at recess in elementary school, playing on the varsity athletic team or simply watching the Olympics or sporting events on television, sports have an influential role in our everyday lives. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations that an estimated twenty-six million children ages six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program (Smith & Smoll, 1997). Well structured sport programs can provide youths with