Alternating between summer and winter, the World Games have become the flagship event of the Special Olympics movement. This year, it kicked off June 17 and continues through the 25th. Host city Berlin has welcomed some 7,000 Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners from approximately 190 countries to compete in 26 sports.
Special Olympics sports competitions are based on the idea that athletes of all abilities should be given an equal chance of succeeding, whether it is a personal best or a gold medal. It calls this competition-level matching “divisioning.” It’s a fundamental rule at Special Olympics that athletes in competitions are matched up with others of the same gender, about the same age and most importantly, of about the same competitive ability.
But enough of that, I’ve got some highlights!
Let’s start things off with the opening ceremony, which included President Biden’s Presidential Delegation, led by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
Next up, go to The Atlantic for some eye-popping photos that show off the power and skills needed for the games, as well as some just really freakin’ happy people who have worked hard to become superior athletes.
I recommend you read about the athletes as well. The Special Olympics website has a section of incredibly moving stories, such as one featuring Li Xiang, a gymnast with Down Syndrome who had more than the usual challenges. For decades in China, the site writes, “the words for people with disabilities included a slur: ascanfei ren, literally ‘disabled garbage people.'”
He overcame that and much more, first attending the World Games at age 11. In 2015, Li won a gold medal, two silver and two bronze medals.
Li Xiang’s doctors had low expectations for a child with Down syndrome. But he’s worked hard to become a multi-talented, multi-sport athlete, who shows everyone his skills and leadership qualities. #CheersForChampions as he returns to global competition at the @SOWG_Berlin2023! pic.twitter.com/Ix5wiD1FA0
— Special Olympics (@SpecialOlympics) June 1, 2023
And let’s hear it for the Boomer. Chief Inspiration Officer Loretta Claiborne is a 69-year-old runner: Meet the inspiring US athletes in Berlin for the Special Olympics World Games (goodmorningamerica.com)
And now, cheers to the U.S. medalists! (Partial list):
East Greenwich, R.I., bocce player wins silver medal in Special Olympics World Games (turnto10.com)
Mitchell Betsworth shines at the Special Olympics World Games, earns 4 medals (ktiv.com)
Dockins claims All-Around Gold at Special Olympics World Summer Games (wbko.com)
Charlotte athlete stands out at Special Olympics World Games (thecharlotteweekly.com)
Georgia duo wins silver at 2023 Special Olympics World Games (Fox5atlanta.com)
Bluffton woman wins big in Berlin: Kayaker earns gold medal at Special Olympics World Games (wjcl.com)
Palmer Special Olympics athlete places 4th in World Summer Games in Berlin (frontiersman.com)
Photo: PowerShelter via The Special Olympics
A record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in states across the country this year, so its doubly good to see New York add to its arsenal of anti-discrimination resources.
The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities has announced two new free, virtual trainings to help equip providers of services for people with developmental disabilities to support people who want to understand and express their gender identity and sexual orientation.
The OPWDD writes that it has heard from stakeholders about multiple barriers for people with developmental disabilities who identify as LGBTQIA+, such as difficulties in connecting with other LGBTQIA+ people in the community, a lack of appropriate and safe venues to discuss being (and supporting others who are) LGBTQIA+ with a disability, and experiencing increased feelings of social isolation due to stigma and a lack of social opportunities.
The trainings are:
The Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) has partnered with the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) for a training that helps providers understand how to support people with developmental disabilities who also identify as LGBTQIA+. Specifically, the training aims to:
(If you’re a provider and interested in signing up, check out this link.)
Detailed instruction on implementing new guidance called the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Memorandum, which describes the rights of people with developmental disabilities related to their gender identity and sexual orientation, is being offered via a new curriculum.
(If you’re a provider and interested in signing up, check out this link.)
Photo: Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels
A record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in states across the country this year, so its doubly good to see New York add to its arsenal of anti-discrimination resources.
The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities has announced two new free, virtual trainings to help equip providers of services for people with developmental disabilities to support people who want to understand and express their gender identity and sexual orientation.
The OPWDD writes that it has heard from stakeholders about multiple barriers for people with developmental disabilities who identify as LGBTQIA+, such as difficulties in connecting with other LGBTQIA+ people in the community, a lack of appropriate and safe venues to discuss being (and supporting others who are) LGBTQIA+ with a disability, and experiencing increased feelings of social isolation due to stigma and a lack of social opportunities.
The trainings are:
The Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) has partnered with the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) for a training that helps providers understand how to support people with developmental disabilities who also identify as LGBTQIA+. Specifically, the training aims to:
(If you’re a provider and interested in signing up, check out this link.)
Detailed instruction on implementing new guidance called the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Memorandum, which describes the rights of people with developmental disabilities related to their gender identity and sexual orientation, is being offered via a new curriculum.
(If you’re a provider and interested in signing up, check out this link.)
Photo: Polina Tankilevitch via Pexels
A new restaurant on the Jersey Shore has opened its doors wide for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Brandon’s Pancake House and Ice Cream Parlor in Wildwood Crest, a borough in Cape May County, was opened by partners Aimee and Karl Famiano, whose son, Brandon, is autistic.
RELATED NEWS: A Restaurant for Autistic People Designed to Soothe (Sorry, It’s in Toronto!)
“Servers wouldn’t give [Brandon] a menu because they would assume that he couldn’t read,” Aimee Famiano told nj.com of why they wanted to make sure all felt welcome. “And the look on his face because of the lack of inclusion and compassion … to be at a table with a bunch of people and you not being looked at, you being overlooked.”
RELATED NEWS: A Chain of Coffee Shops Employing People with I/DD Opens New Location
Photo: Skyler Ewing via Pexels
A new restaurant on the Jersey Shore has opened its doors wide for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Brandon’s Pancake House and Ice Cream Parlor in Wildwood Crest, a borough in Cape May County, was opened by partners Aimee and Karl Famiano, whose son, Brandon, is autistic.
RELATED NEWS: A Restaurant for Autistic People Designed to Soothe (Sorry, It’s in Toronto!)
“Servers wouldn’t give [Brandon] a menu because they would assume that he couldn’t read,” Aimee Famiano told nj.com of why they wanted to make sure all felt welcome. “And the look on his face because of the lack of inclusion and compassion … to be at a table with a bunch of people and you not being looked at, you being overlooked.”
RELATED NEWS: A Chain of Coffee Shops Employing People with I/DD Opens New Location
Photo: Skyler Ewing via Pexels
First up, New York State. Two important developmental disability-related bills in New York got, well, nowhere this legislative session.
The first is the Direct Support Wage Enhancement bill, which would raise wages an extra $4,000 per year in income for Direct Support Professionals. It was proposed on the heels of the legislature landing on a mere 4% cost of living increase for the critical workforce.
The other is Andre’s Law, which would stop government agencies from sending any more children to the Judge Rothenberg Education Center in Canton, Mass., reportedly the only institution in the country to use electro-shock and other aversive therapies for behavior modification on students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). More of the JRC’s residents come from New York than any other state.
Overall, almost 900 bills cleared the Assembly and Senate and now go to Governor Hochul to look at, fiddle with, and yay or nay over the next six months.
Critical programs could be slashed: In shockingly unsurprising news, the GOP’s bad-faith debt ceiling negotiations are already falling apart.
Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Kay Granger (R-TX) and her subcommittee lieutenants “took decisive action last week and set topline spending for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills at FY 2022 levels,” reports the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates Committee (COPAA) in its newsletter. “This means the much-discussed 302(b) allocations -which set the total spending limits for each of the 12 appropriations bills are far lower than was agreed to in the recent debt ceiling default and budget deal passed by Congress and signed by President Biden.”
The spending proposals will cut non-defense discretionary programs such as education, healthcare, and research by more than $130 billion. For education alone, the cuts could be in the $30 billion range. (The measures are likely dead on arrival in the Senate, COPAA notes, where Democrats have indicated they plan to use every dollar agreed to in the budget deal.)
Potential Housing Discrimination updates: From Disability Scoop, Feds Seek To Revamp Rules Related To Disability Housing
Photo: Unsplash
I just want to alert folks to this, as it has interesting ramifications beyond New York City.
Chalkbeat.org has a story on P.S. 958, a new school in Sunset Park that’s “trying to keep children who may have higher needs closer to home. … The school’s mission is in line with an effort by schools Chancellor David Banks to expand programs designed to include students with disabilities alongside their typically developing peers, part of a push to keep families from exploring private options.”
RELATED NEWS: Charter Schools Leave Students With Disabilities Far Behind
Photo: Freepik
Disability Scoop reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is issuing a collection of new resources to help state Medicaid and partner agencies design and deliver services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their aging caregivers. (Sorry, that was a mouthful.)
The documents, of which there are four, are also neat summaries of federal policies; include interesting examples of work being done by specific states; and are chock full of important statistics.
For instance, 61% – nearly 800,000 – of all adults receiving home and community-based services (HCBS) through their state intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) agency live at home with family. Additionally, an estimated one million households in the U.S. include an adult with I/DD living with and supported by an aging caregiver, and this number is growing fast.
The documents are:
A sweeping look at school removals nationwide, Oregon looks to pay parents who provide full-time care for children with disabilities, a prom for people with disabilities in Idaho gets a whopping 300 RSPVs and more news for the week ending June 24, 2023.
This is a sweet one: Disability Rights advocate smashes celebrity birthdays record A U.K. disability advocate who has Down Syndrome does it for the record books. (Guinnessworldrecords.com)
‘She just wants a friend’: Families push for full school days for children with disabilities Advocates say schools across the U.S. are removing students with disabilities from the classroom, often in response to challenging behavior, by sending them home or cutting back on the days they’re allowed to attend. (ABCnews.go.com via AP)
Eater and Disability Visibility Present: Low and Slow Low and Slow is a partnership with Eater featuring a series of interviews, essays, and reported pieces on eating and cooking by disabled people. (Eater.com)
MTA Expands Paratransit E-Hail Pilot, But Boosts Price and Caps Number of Rides
Very happy to learn that NYC started this pilot program that gives riders more freedom. The boosted price, FYI, is $5, which is what participants pay in Westchester. It adds up fast. (thecity.nyc)
Chicago: CPS boosts school budgets with focus on special education — and more property taxes Buoyed in part once again by federal COVID-19 relief funding, Chicago Public Schools will spend about $220 million more in the 2023-2024 school year to hire teachers and other support staff. (chicago.suntimes.com)
Oregon: Oregon bill looks to pay parents who provide full-time care for children with disabilities After a number of hurdles, the bill now has a good chance of reaching the finish line. (kpic.com)
Washington State: WA Legislature expands public school oversight of private special ed schools Recent investigations by The Seattle Times and ProPublica showed some key metrics of student progress at the schools weren’t being tracked, and the state failed to address alleged incidents of abuse. (kuow.org)
Idaho: A prom for adults with developmental disabilities is a huge hit in Nampa The prom for people with special needs wasn’t in and of itself unusual, except that this one had more than 300 RSVPs. (ktvb.com)
Europe’s hidden shame: Forced sterilisation of women with disabilities is still a concern Forced sterilisation of women with disabilities is still happening in Europe. The European Parliament is currently debating a binding legislation that would make this practice illegal. (euronews.com)
Donald G. Triplett, known as “Case 1,” the first person in the U.S. to be diagnosed with the contemporary definition of autism, has died at age 89.
Triplett worked for 65 years at a bank in the small town of Forest, Miss., reports PBS.org. His father, Beamon Triplett, was a primary shareholder. Donald Triplett graduated in 1958 from Millsaps College, was a golfer and traveler who went to some exotic destinations, bank CEO Allen Breland told PBS.
Breland, who also spoke with WLBT.com, said Triplett was “in his own world, but if you gave him two, three-digit numbers, he could multiply them faster than you could get the answer on a calculator.”
WLBT.com reported that his autism diagnosis was the result of a “meticulously detailed 22-page letter his father composed when Donald was just a child. The letter was full of telling observations that Beamon and his wife, Mary Triplett, had made of their son’s aptitudes and behavior. It was received by a Johns Hopkins researcher in Baltimore with great interest. The letter remains a primary reference document for those who study autism.”
Triplett was the subject of a book, In a Different Key, and a PBS documentary film.