Innovators of the Week: Akplogan and Aplogan

The following post was written by Akplogan and Aplogan, two Special Olympics youth leaders from Benin. The pair make it their mission to strengthen inclusion in their community. Check out how they #innovateforinclusion!

Through this project, many more individuals became aware and conscious about intellectual disabilities. I am very happy to have conducted this activity. I was able to talk about my own history and experiences. I am convinced that the results of the project will change the behavior of students towards individuals with intellectual disabilities. I hoped that people can begin to look at me with looks of acceptance and inclusion and not judgement. I also hoped to be greeted normally.

I no longer feel as if I live in a corner. Individuals now look at me more positively. I would like to share this positive change with several other colleges in Benin and Akpakpa as they need my support to create more inclusive and respectful schools and communities.

The 2018-2019 Special Olympics Youth Innovation Grant initiative is supported through partnerships with Hasbro, Inc., The Samuel Family Foundation, the Office of Special Education Programs at the United States Department of Education, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Kantar Group, the Microsoft Corporation, Lane Global Youth Leadership, and the Lions Clubs International Foundation. Learn more about these inspiring projects at SpecialOlympicsGlobalYouthProjects.org.