Special Olympics Athletes Join the Healthcare Battle on Capitol Hill
This piece was created in collaboration with myself, Lynn Erickson, and Lilia Carasciuc, Special Olympics Marketing & Communications, Lindsay DuBois and Molly Sadowsky, Research, and Meredith Ciaccia, Global Development and Government Relations.
On February 15th, a diverse and distinguished group of activists will descend on Washington, D.C. to lead a personal fight. This is not something the halls of The Capitol are unfamiliar with. But this fight is different and these leaders have a personal stake in it — They are fighting for their healthcare rights and needs, something that has been looked over for decades.
The list of health disparities between the general population in the United States and Special Olympics athletes is lengthy.
For example, 45.6% of Special Olympics North America athletes ages 20 years and older, are obese compared to only 36.4% of Americans, in the same age group. In American children, ages 8–19 years old, 16.7% are obese compared to an obesity rate of almost double, 31.7%, in Special Olympics North American athletes. Further, 4.8% of Americans experience mouth pain, compared to 11.7% of Special Olympics athletes who experience the same problem. Similarly, while 16% of the population experiences hearing problems, this issue affects an astounding 29.6% of Special Olympics athletes.
The rates of health issues for people with intellectual disabilities is just one of many indicators of the poor state of health care this population receives. Often, the health issues people with ID encounter are falsely attributed to the individual’s disability, a phenomenon known as diagnostic overshadowing. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that these disparities exist because people with ID do not have access to adequate health services.
Simply, Special Olympic athletes, and the larger intellectual disability community, receive poorer healthcare and a lack of access to health services, as evidenced by these disparities.
Twenty years ago, however, the dots between these disparities were connected with the launch of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® — a program that offers health screenings and educational information to athletes in dire need. Since its introduction, this program has conducted more than 1.7 million free health examinations for people with intellectual disabilities in more than 130 countries. The program has improved the health of our athletes and in many cases, it has profoundly changed or saved their lives. In recognizing the important tie that health has to sports performance, health has become central to the mission of Special Olympics.
“For people like myself with intellectual disabilities it is hard to get accurate and good healthcare and to get a doctor that knows how to deal and treat somebody with an intellectual disability,” says Allen Tobin, a Special Olympics athlete from Missouri. Through Healthy Athletes, Allen has been fitted with glasses, hearing aids, properly fitting shoes, and has sat for regular dental examinations.
Since 2002, Special Olympics has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the serious gap between the healthcare services individuals with intellectual disabilities need and what they actually receive. Together, we share a common goal: to make sure children and adults with intellectual disabilities receive equitable access to quality health care, education and services through their communities. We call it #InclusiveHealth.
With support from CDC, the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program is able to offer specialized training for doctors and other health professionals in the United States so that they can learn how to properly treat patients with intellectual disabilities and ultimately provide necessary health screenings for athletes.
This #SOHillDay, we will meet with Members of Congress to raise awareness about the important work that Special Olympics is doing in the health arena, to educate Members about the health challenges that Special Olympics athletes — and all people with intellectual disabilities — face every day, and to share how Special Olympics and the United States Government have partnered to work towards a world where all people with intellectual disabilities have access to #InclusiveHealth in their communities.
Special Olympics global health program, made possible by the Golisano Foundation, now reaches more than 130 countries and includes a focus on year-round health and wellness opportunities. To date, more than 172 local health partners support Special Olympics’ efforts by providing year-round health and wellness opportunities and improved access to follow-up care for athletes.
