There Is More To Be Done For People Around The World With Intellectual Disabilities — And It’s Our Job To Do It
When Rajah of Senegal and Alice of Côte d’Ivoire sat down across from me in an interview room at a Special Olympics World Games LA2015 conference, I had no idea that what they were about to say would have such a profound impact on me.
I was no stranger to stories of neglect and intolerance toward people with intellectual disabilities. Telling those stories, as well as those of victory and joy, is my job. I had been sitting in that same room for eight hours a day over the course of three days asking Special Olympics volunteers and staff to tell me what life is like for people with intellectual disabilities in their countries.
I thought I had heard it all. I had listened to stories of homelessness, institutions and neglect. I had also reflected on tales of overcoming obstacles, achieving greatness and changing perspectives. Frankly, when I met Rajah and Alice, I had been on an emotional roller coaster that I was ready to end.
But as Rajah and Alice started to speak, I was pulled in by their passion. They spoke through a translator, and while I didn’t understand their words, I certainly felt their emotions.
As Alice told me about a child in Côte d’Ivoire who had been chained to a pole in the center of town because of his intellectual disability, we cried. As Rajah told me about a child in Senegal who had been left to roam the streets as a toddler because her disability made her “less than human,” we cried again. And as they told me about the ways that Special Olympics came to these children and offered them a hopeful future, we celebrated.
The stories they had to share were heartbreaking. But, they were also hopeful because of the people who were telling them. These are people who would travel for 24 hours across treacherous terrain to help unchain a little boy who was dangerously misunderstood. They’ve devoted their lives to creating a home for individuals who are put out on the streets because they are different. Rajah and Alice are part of a community of people who are on the front lines of this movement.
Together, they are fighting to reverse stigma, bury centuries-old traditions of mistreatment and push for the acceptance and inclusion of millions of people with intellectual disabilities around the world.
And they need our help.
It’s because of this realization that I left the room that day with a single phrase echoing through my mind: “There is so much more to be done.”
We have certainly come a long way since 1962, when Eunice Kennedy Shriver first invited people with intellectual disabilities to her home for “Camp Shriver.” In the 53 years since, we’ve seen great progress in the global treatment of people with intellectual disabilities. There are more and more societies where people with disabilities are accepted and celebrated for their differences. This July, we’ll even see Los Angeles stop everything to celebrate 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities in the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world in 2015.
But as Rajah and Alice reminded me, the work isn’t over yet. There are still societies around the world — both at home and abroad — where being born with an intellectual disability means being valued as less than human.
As excitement for the Special Olympics World Games LA2015 grows, this publication will use that momentum to elevate conversations around the issues that we hope will continue to motivate progress. We’ll illustrate what life is like for people with intellectual disabilities around the world, and we’ll call for action.
There is so much left to be done, and it’s our responsibility to do it.
This publication is curated by Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015. Join us on our mission to change the world for people with intellectual disabilities by logging in to Medium and “recommending” this article.
