Tim Shriver speaks with Special Olympics Wisconsin Athlete Cindy Bentley

After a unique year, the Special Olympics family is wishing you and yours a very happy and fully inclusive holiday! Let's get this holiday season started!

Today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders, teachers, coaches and parents. In recent years, particularly in the sports world, we have become increasingly aware of the responsibility we have to our children to provide them with a solid foundation for a healthy life.

The Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher College will launch a new fellowship program to develop nursing thought leaders who support and promote the health and wellbeing of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Applications are now being accepted for the Golisano Fellowship in Intellectual and Developmental Disability Nursing, with the first cohort slated to begin in summer 2021.

At Special Olympics, it is our mission to celebrate inclusion at all times—no matter the setting. This belief has been even stronger in the past year with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and growing need for virtual connections.

What are the benefits of inclusion? Just ask Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President & General Manager of ESPN+, speaking here with Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts, who’s been part of ESPN’s broadcast team covering World Games.

A series of video interviews between youth leaders in Africa Region and their personal heroes showcase the best of inclusion across society, from the sports field to the classroom, the work place and even the performance stage.

The world changed in 2020. Isolation, fear, overloaded health systems, and food insecurity continue to plague the world through the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has especially made things difficult for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Significant health disparities have been further exacerbated for those with ID. Special Olympics Health has been working hard to address these disparities.

All Special Olympics Programs are experiencing a new kind of normal in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing all to go virtual this year.

Practice Inclusion: End the Use of the R-Word

After disruptive but necessary closings, Special Olympics is committed to supporting schools to return with more connection and community.

During a time social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Special Olympics has made a variety of online resources, such as virtual games, workouts and leadership opportunities, available to keep athletes healthy and engaged until in-person activities resume.