Our Moments of Inclusion

Hi! Our names are Sydney Meininger and Elyse Whittemore! We are both from the state of Massachusetts and members of the of the MA State YAC. We are also U.S. Youth Ambassadors for the Northeast Region. To us Inclusion is making everyone feel welcomed and a part of the community. We wanted to share our inclusive moments and stories.

Hi, my name is Sydney Meininger and I am from Bolton, Massachusetts. I am in my first year of a transitions program at Nashoba Regional High School. The intellectual disability I have is a rare medical condition called Cat Eye Syndrome. I have had 25 surgeries. I joined Special Olympics when I was in 6th grade. I started playing on the Central Mass Spartans an all boys basketball team and in the first year we won the Winter Games State Tournament. I have been playing basketball for 6 years now. This fall I played on a Special Olympics soccer team the Shrewsbury Stingers a team for athletes with and without disabilities. I had a blast and we got second place at the State tournament. My first year of high school when I was a freshman, I participated on the Unified Track team. The events that I like doing are long jump, running, javelin and 4x400 relay team. Being a part of the Unified Track team at my school means a lot to me because I am involved in a school sports team. I was also one of the captains last year for our team. Getting to be a part of the team makes me feel included, even though I am different from everyone else. Since then, I have graduated high school last year.

This year I am in the transitions program at my school for students with intellectual disabilities, where during the school day I go to different kinds of volunteer job sites. I feel that Inclusion is very important too when it comes to working because everybody has different kinds of needs when it comes to getting a job. I am hoping that after I graduate out of this transitions program it will be easier for me to find a job that I like because in this program it helps us learn new job skills. Even if you have a disability, you can still get a paying job and have a social life like everyone else.

I had the opportunity to meet numerous players, ownership and staff through the amazing partnership created this past summer. I had the privilege to be a part of the press conference where Massachusetts Special Olympics and the Boston Bruins announced their partnership. As part of the Kick-off event to the big partnership, I got to attend the Boston Bruins Home Opener. I also got to go out on the ice at the end of a period and hit pucks at the TD Bank logo. This past January I got the privilege to be the athlete spotlight for Special Olympics. I got a customized jersey. I also got my Special Olympics story talked about during intermission and pictures of me were shown on the Jumbotron. I also got to wave to everyone in the garden!

I am also involved in Best Buddies. My favorite thing about it this year is I was chosen to be the treasurer for our chapter. I am the first student with an intellectual disability to have this role at Nashoba. I honestly couldn’t ever imagine my life without an extra chromosome. It doesn’t change who I am. I know that there are things that make me different, but there are some unique things about me. Over the last year, I have definitely changed as a person.

I also love speaking about why Special Olympics and Best Buddies are so Important to a person like me who lives with an intellectual disability. Some people don’t understand what it is like for anyone to live with a disability. Lots of my friends just see the incredible person I am. I recently gave a speech at Ayer — Shirley high school in front of 300 students about Special Olympics Unified Sports, Best Buddies and how Inclusion has made a difference for me at my school. This high school is trying to get a Unified Track team going in the spring I am also helping them to try to start their own Best Buddies.

I went to Camp Howe a 4-H sleep away camp for a couple of years in high school it was a camp for kids and teens with and without intellectual disabilities. I loved going to the camp because it was a place I where I could just be myself and nobody would look at me differently just because I had a disability. Everyone was really kind and encouraging to try new things.

Inclusion means to me that even though I have an intellectual disability, I can still play sports. If there was no such thing as Best Buddies or Special Olympics I don’t know how I would have any friends with intellectual disabilities. It is not just because of the way you look on the outside, it’s what on the inside that matters. Just because you have an intellectual disability, you can still have friends, a social life and feelings like everyone else.

Hi, my name is Elyse Whittemore and I am a junior at Auburn High School in Massachusetts. Throughout high school, I have experienced and enjoyed too many inclusive moments to count. My all-time favorite inclusive moment happened at my school earlier this year. Auburn High School was recognized as a National Banner School and was on the ESPN Honor Roll for the top 30 Unified Sports programs in the country. This was an amazing opportunity to be a part of and help lead with my peers. To recognize this huge accomplishment our school, with the help of student council, honored Unified Sports at our Homecoming Assembly. The assembly was huge and easily the favorite one of the year for every student at Auburn High School! At the assembly, another Unified athlete and I spoke to the entire school about what Unified Sports are and what they mean to us. We shared some of the experiences we have had with Unified Sports in the past. After speaking, the banner was presented and all the Unified athletes walked a “victory lap” around the gym. It was so awesome to see Unified Sports honored and talked about. It was so incredible to see the entire student body cheer on the athletes. After the victory lap, the school watched a video about Unified Champion Schools. Finally we finished off with a Unified Basketball game. The support from all the students of the school was amazing, as each grade cheered on the team. I have never seen students so interested and excited for a basketball game. As a member of both our school’s student council and Unified Sports team, it was beyond awesome to be a part of this assembly and help plan the recognition of all our Unified Athletes hard work. The support the entire school gave was truly heartwarming to see and by far my favorite Inclusion story and memory of high school!