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Athlete Leadership

Throughout the Special Olympics North America Region, Programs are creating opportunities for Special Olympics athletes to find their voices and share their powerful stories.
3 Min Read
Two athletes from Special Olympics Missouri and Special Olympics Kansas had the honor of co-announcing the 141st pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for the Minnesota Vikings. Richard Scott and Josh Alters, both passionate multi-sport athletes, were chosen to make the pick.
1 Min Read
Coach Joe Bellini and Special Olympics athlete Will Smith have known each other for nearly 30 years. Their relationship isn’t the typical coach/athlete relationship because the connection runs so deep. Here is their story.
4 Min Read
Shavanna Mahoe has the distinction of being Hawaii’s first and only Special Olympics athlete who serves as a certified bocce official.
2 Min Read
This year's Capitol Hill Day wasn't my first (I've been to eight others!), but it was our first in-person Hill Day in several years and I was so excited to be back! It was amazing to see so many of my favorite people in person and to meet so many new people.
4 Min Read
Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it is 2023?! It’s so hard to imagine that four years in my role as an SSIGM have already gone by. I can honestly say these years have certainly been filled with adventure and the unexpected.
6 Min Read
I have four meaningful goals for this year that I hope to accomplish, with the love and support of my mentors and staff from Special Olympics and my family and friends.
5 Min Read
Throughout the Special Olympics North America Region, companies demonstrate what an inclusive environment should look like and how that translates throughout the communities.
5 Min Read
With National Disability Employment Awareness Month right around the corner, I've been reflecting on my own employment journey. My journey to the job I currently have was not one that I planned and it didn't go as easy as one, two, three. It was and still is a journey of faith. You see, when I left high school, I faced barriers in qualifying for disability resources and vocational training that I had been told would help prepare me to enter the workplace. As I applied for services, I was told I was either too high functioning or too low functioning to receive these services. I had a lot of time to wonder, and even be afraid of what my future might hold. The workplace had always been a scary place for me. I wasn’t so worried about the type of job I would get; I was worried about the support I would receive to be successful in my job.
4 Min Read
Created in 1922, the British Empire Medal is granted by the Crown in recognition of meritorious civil or military service.
2 Min Read