More than 250 Special Olympics athletes, organization leaders, Unified Sports® partners, and family members from across the United States and the District of Columbia will unite in Washington, D.C., February 9-11 for the annual Special Olympics “Capitol Hill Day.” Special Olympics Kansas (SOKS) will send seven delegates.
Throughout the event, Special Olympics athletes will lead hundreds of face-to-face meetings with Members of Congress in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, urging their elected officials to partner with them to support education and health initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities (ID).
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® programming is in over 175 schools in Kansas and more than 12,000 schools across the United States, with a goal of being in 20,000 schools nationwide by 2030. Additionally, Special Olympics continues to address health disparities for people with ID by providing free health screenings and training healthcare professionals to deliver follow-up care where and when it’s needed.
Athlete advocates will share their lived experiences with lawmakers, underscoring the stigma faced by people with ID and how Special Olympics programming in sports, health, and education can reduce discrimination, improve lives, and promote acceptance. Advocates will request their elected officials to continue longstanding support for evidence-based Special Olympics programming that benefits all Americans, regardless of ability.
Three staff members from SOKS will be on Capitol Hill, including CEO and President John Lair, Youth Programs Coordinator Caroline Meyers, and Director of Strategic Development Ryan Warren. Susie Micka, a teacher at Lawrence High School, will join them, along with Jacob Micka, an Unified Partner at Lawrence High School, Connor Lee an Athlete with the Douglas County Jayhawks and at Lawrence High School, and Keith Hartner an athlete with the Manhattan Sports Club and a Board Member for the SOKS Board of Directors.
Editor’s Note: Special Olympics Kansas delegation members are available for interviews leading up to and after Capitol Hill Day. Please contact Ashley Pippin at pippina@soks.org to arrange an interview.
“When athletes lead these conversations, it puts a face to the importance of inclusive education, equitable health care, and acceptance for people with intellectual disabilities. It gives our athletes the opportunity to advocate,” said Lair. “We’re proud to bring Kansas athletes to Washington, D.C., to advocate for programs that not only change lives, but strengthen communities across our state and the nation. We’re thankful for the opportunity.”
“Capitol Hill Day showcases the extraordinary impact our athletes can make when they are invited to sit at the table with the leaders and policymakers who are shaping our nation’s future,” said Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics. “Continued and fierce commitment from the U.S. government to partner with Special Olympics allows us – together – to advance education, address long-standing health disparities in our community, and push toward a society where every person with an intellectual disability is treated with dignity and respect.”
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® programming trains and mobilizes youth leaders and educators to foster inclusive school environments by integrating students with ID in sports teams (Special Olympics Unified Sports® programming), clubs, and leadership roles. With over 21 million inclusive experiences taking place in schools across the United States, this programming reduces stigma and bullying while increasing acceptance for people of all abilities.
Special Olympics Health programming works towards equitable access to quality health promotion and services for people with intellectual disabilities, responding to a clear need for a world where people with intellectual disabilities have every option to be healthy. Inclusive health means people with intellectual disabilities have access to high quality affordable health care services and are empowered to take an active role in making their health and life choices.
Since 2016, Special Olympics has trained over 150,000 healthcare professionals and students and completed over 250,000 health screenings. By 2030, Special Olympics aims to serve 500,000 athletes in the United States through its health programming.
The results are striking:
• Special Olympics athletes had a 31% lower rate of health care visits compared to people with intellectual disabilities who do not participate in Special Olympics.
• Young adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics are half as likely to be diagnosed with depression as those who do not participate and 15% less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.
• Special Olympics athletes who participate in Special Olympics fitness programming experience improved blood pressure, with those at high risk for cardiovascular disease seeing the greatest improvement.
• Within two months of participation, children participating in Young Athletes programming show seven-month gain in motor skill development.
In addition to federal U.S. government funding, Special Olympics also receives funds from private foundations, corporations, and individuals to support these initiatives. Public and private support is critical for Special Olympics to offer its sport, health, and education programming at no cost to participants.
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