Special Olympics Health builds strategic partnerships with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusive health systems and promote health equity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Additionally, training Special Olympics athletes as leaders who champion inclusive health in their communities and beyond is a key part of being an athlete-led movement and fulfilling the demand of “Nothing About Us Without Us.”
Through Health Messenger programming, Special Olympics athletes are empowered and equipped with skills to serve as health educators, advocates, and role models within Special Olympics communities and the community at large.
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- Special Olympics International internal records from the Rosemary Collaboratory initiative (System Level Assessments documentation, 2024–2025).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the Rosemary Collaboratory additional data analysis (People with IDD Survey, 2024–2025).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the Rosemary Collaboratory additional data analysis (Health Workforce Survey, 2024–2025).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the Rosemary Collaboratory additional data analysis (Clinician KIIs and FGDs, 2024–2025).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the Systems Change in Inclusive Health subgrant (U.S. organizations funded in 2025–2026).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the Systems Change in Inclusive Health subgrant (resources produced by funded U.S. organizations, 2024–2025).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the A Healthier You adapted Diabetes Prevention Program pilot, 2025–2026).
- Special Olympics International internal records from the Single Health Evaluation Reports (Health Messengers training and activation data, 2024).
- Special Olympics International internal records, including data from a baseline analysis of the Single Health Evaluation Collaborations Lists (2023–2024) and data from the Government Relations survey (2023).
Special Olympics Health activities are supported by many sources, including in the United States, by Grant Number NU27DD000021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with $18.1M (64%) financed with U.S. federal funds and $10.2M (36%) supported by non-federal sources.
These contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.