University of Chicago hosts Special Olympics: Leading the Charge to Build a Unified World Through Sport
Fifty years ago, Eunice Kennedy Shriver embraced plans for a Chicago citywide track meet project and asked the city to enlarge the scope to include athletes from around the country. Soon, at Soldier Field in Chicago, the first Special Olympic Games took place.
On May 8, 2018, just six short miles from Soldier Field, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, the Center for Diversity and inclusion, and partners across the University of Chicago campus welcomed David Evangelista, the President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Eurasia, as well as Zinyra “Z” Ross, the Global Messenger of Special Olympics Illinois, for an engaging discussion into the Special Olympics movement fifty years on, and the critical importance of social inclusion in everyday life.
The presentation was a valuable opportunity to expose Harris students and the community at large to the important concept, neglected by many, that people with intellectual disabilities must be included in our conversation around diversity and inclusion.
The discussion was moderated by Harris Assistant Professor Anjali Adukia, whose research and work focuses on understanding how to reduce inequalities that children from historically disadvantaged backgrounds face. She was also an active volunteer with Special Olympics Illinois while studying at the University of Illinois.
“Hearing their journeys not only provided a source of inspiration but a taste of some of the everyday realities faced by athletes and their families” Adukia said. “Our students really benefit from having real-world connections to individual experiences, in part because it will help meaningfully inform policy and practice decisions in the future. We are so fortunate that they took valuable time out of their busy lives to share part of their stories with us.”
Harris alum Anna Draft MPP’18 shared her thoughts on the opportunity to learn about Zinyra’s story and the mission of Special Olympics:
“In my experience, when people think of diversity and inclusion, diversity and inclusion of people with disabilities is less often at the forefront of their thoughts. Having David Evangelista at the University of Chicago to present on the Special Olympics was a great testament to the greater attention and interests of our University’s students to make campus an inclusive place for individuals of all races, genders, and abilities
The University of Chicago and Harris Public Policy remain committed to inclusion, diversity, and dignity for all people, including those with intellectual disabilities.
One way that Harris’ work has had a positive change toward diversity is through the Rooney Rule and a blind application process. Research by Cynthia DuBois MPP’10 on the NFL’s hiring processes inspired John Mitchell MPP’12, now senior associate director of information engagement for the Alumni Relations and Development team at the University of Chicago, to experiment with new ways to ensure diversity in the hiring process.
“We were ultimately impressed that these updated procedures produced interviewees and candidates that were of higher caliber than was initially hoped for at the outset of the hiring process,” Mitchell concluded. “We feel confident that the two final job offers were made due to experience, skill, attitude, qualification and culture add — rather than implicit unintentional bias.”
For more information on Mitchell’s increases in diversity hiring at UChicago, click here.
“The University of Chicago is distinctive in many respects, but perhaps in none more so than our singular commitment to rigorous inquiry that demands multiple and often competing perspectives,” said Robert J. Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago. “The nature of questions being asked and the perspectives being engaged are often a function of the diversity of experiences and outlooks of those participating.”
“Diversity for the University is therefore particularly germane to our core perspective,” Zimmer added. “We must ensure that our scholarly community is composed of a rich mix of individuals who, through their own distinctive viewpoints, contribute to the intellectually challenging culture of the University.”
Obviously, the Special Olympics’ mission is inclusion and dignity even beyond sport. On May 8, attendees also learned of the amazing work Special Olympics has undertaken in refugee settings around the world. In refugee camps, people with intellectual disabilities exist on the margins, often restrained or bonded due to a lack of options for families, caregivers, and authorities. Fifty years from the first Games, the Special Olympics are doing powerful work to help raise the profile, impact the policies and advocate for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities.
The University of Chicago was thrilled to host the Special Olympics and looks forward to the Special Olympics’ 50th Anniversary Celebration in Chicago on July 17–21 as it launches into the next 50 years of the Inclusion Revolution with a week of high-level sports competition at the Unified Cup, family-friendly fun at the Torch Run and Global Day of Inclusion festival, and a star-studded concert at Northerly Island — including Chance the Rapper.
“As a Chicago native, I also couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Special Olympics to Chicago this summer for their 50th Anniversary Games,” Anna Draft said. “I’m happy to be both part of a University and a city that are equally passionate about making the world a more inclusive place for all. It is through events such as these that diversity and inclusion of people of all abilities is more often at the forefront of all of our thoughts. “
I couldn’t agree more.
