There is nothing quite like sports to bring a community together -- from schools, to towns, to cities, to even an entire nation, a common goal or love of a team is a powerful thing.
But what if you felt like you couldn't join that team at school? Or what if you saw no one like you represented in the players, coaches, or other participants in your city's beloved sport?
This may be hard for some of us to imagine, but it's commonplace for folks with an intellectual ability. They are squeezed out of spaces that should be filled with camaraderie and instead told, "Sit on the sidelines."
But Special Olympics Canada knows that there is a better, more inclusive world where people with intellectual disabilities are welcomed with open arms, from a local to a global level. For just one Special Olympics athlete, this inclusion is physically, mentally, and emotionally transformative for their own lives.
And with 49,600 athletes, 21,500 volunteers, and 6,175 programs, Special Olympics' reach is wide, and is giving visibility to people with intellectual disabilities on every community level and changing countless lives -- telling them "We see you." Will you join us in making sure every person with intellectual disabilities feels seen?
