The Founding of Special Smiles “People” is what Special Olympics is all about. Everyone’s contribution to the movement is important and significant to every athlete, and Dr. Steven Perlman’s contribution, like so many others, has been extraordinary. As a testament to his commitment the 2004 Special Olympics Massachusetts (USA) State Summer Games were dedicated to the dentist from the city of Lynn, Massachusetts. Special Smiles Global Clinical Director Dr. Steven Perlman, left, has long been committed to the Special Olympics movement and the health of its athletes. Perlman is one of the authors of the Guide to Good Oral Health for Persons with Special Needs. More than a decade ago, Perlman saw a need and set out to meet it. Shortly after treating Rosemary Kennedy (the sister of Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver), Perlman discovered that there was a serious shortage of dental professionals willing and able to treat individuals with intellectual disabilities. Together with his colleagues at Boston University, Perlman decided that something had to be done. The program was developed in 1993, and first implemented at Special Olympics Massachusetts Games that year. The Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine helped manage Special Smiles until it was officially recognized and adopted by Special Olympics in 1997. The program now known as Special Smiles® was established in 1995, the first of the Healthy Athletes initiatives to be conceived. By 1997, nearly 30,000 athletes had visited Special Smiles dental clinics. In May 1998, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation presented Perlman with a lifetime achievement award for this work with children with intellectual disablities. The popularity of the program grew very quickly and the concept spread around the world. Today, the Special Smiles program is a critical component of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative. “My happiness comes from knowing the dental clinics that I helped launch for Special Olympics gave birth to the Healthy Athletes initiative,” said Perlman. “The dental clinics stimulated discussion about the whole access to care issue for people with intellectual disabilities, and that’s my biggest joy.” Because of Perlman’s extraordinary vision, a movement has been created, a movement that has placed Special Olympics in the forefront of an effort to make quality health care available and accessible to people with intellectual disabilities throughout the world. His continued generosity, energy, dedication and determination have served as a shining example of how one man’s vision can literally change the world.