tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/special-olympics-57988/articlesSpecial Olympics – The Conversation2020-12-01T19:48:19Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1477232020-12-01T19:48:19Z2020-12-01T19:48:19ZGlobal disabilities map visualizes the strength and power of millions of athletes around the world<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370554/original/file-20201120-23-12cp9cq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=42%2C0%2C3463%2C5255&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Qaphela Dlamini, educator, wheelchair basketball player and disability rights advocate from South Africa.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/globalsportsmentoringprogram/33804484938/in/album-72157691075158333/">globalsportsmentingprogram/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the <a href="https://www.ada.gov">Americans with Disabilities Act</a> was signed into law in 1990, it became illegal to restrict access – to employment, education or federally funded institutions – based on disability. The ADA made it easier for wheelchair users, senior citizens or a disabled child to navigate public spaces and to have equal access to learning. </p>
<p>Many Americans who are not disabled benefit from the ADA. Building ramps, curb cuts, wider halls and audio instructions at crosswalks were a result of this law. The ADA made it easier for a parent to push a stroller down the sidewalk, to cross the street guided by aural prompts or for students with dyslexia to learn and excel in school.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man with his arms standing crossed in front of racing wheelchairs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370549/original/file-20201120-21-i9mb58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">JP Manues disability rights advocate and dragon boat racing coach from the Philippines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">globalsportsmentoringprogram/flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>December 3 is the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities">United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities</a>. While ADA protects the rights of Americans with disabilities, what protections exist around the globe? Are there policies that protect a child in Ethiopia born with hearing loss? Or the Venezuelan woman who lost the use of her legs in an automobile accident? What about a teenager in Senegal born with Down syndrome? </p>
<p>The <a href="https://sportandpeace.utk.edu">University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace, and Society</a> has created the <a href="https://sportandpeace.com/global-map/">Global Disability Rights Map</a>, an interactive map that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities throughout the world. The map can also serve to empower those who want to create policies that protect people with disabilities. </p>
<h2>Leveling the playing field</h2>
<p>In 2016, <a href="https://globalsportsmentoring.org/global-sports-mentor-program/emerging-leaders/jp-maunes/">JP Maunes</a>, a disability rights advocate and sign language interpreter, and <a href="https://globalsportsmentoring.org/dc-year/sport-for-community-2019/">Adeline Dumapong</a>, a Paralympic bronze medalist, both from the Philippines, sat in a Washington, D.C. restaurant riveted by the closed captioning technology on the television. For the millions of people who are <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss#:%7E:text=Over%205%25%20of%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20population%20%E2%80%93%20or,ten%20people%20%E2%80%93%20will%20have%20disabling%20hearing%20loss.">deaf or hard of hearing</a>, closed captioning provides information about what can be seen, even if it’s not possible to hear.</p>
<p>Neither Maunes nor Dumapong is deaf. Closed captioning, however, represented more than the convenience of being able to follow a sports commentary in a loud restaurant. They could see what was possible for people with disabilities in their own country. As Filipino citizens, Maunes and Dumapong wanted to know what they could do to bring attention to the discrimination against people with disabilities. </p>
<p>They had seen American athletes use their professional platforms to speak out against discrimination, unequal pay and sexual harassment, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/sports/football/george-floyd-kaepernick-kneeling-nfl-protests.html">Colin Kaepernick</a> and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/08/701522635/u-s-womens-soccer-team-sues-u-s-soccer-for-gender-discrimination">Megan Rapinoe</a>. How could they use their power as athletes to advocate for more inclusive laws and policies?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman in wheelchair smiling with hands in her lap." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370550/original/file-20201120-19-1qi2lm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adeline Dumapong, Paralympic bronze medalists and disability rights advocate from the Philippines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">globalsportsmentoringprogram/flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Changing the world through sports</h2>
<p>Manues and Dumapong were participants in our program, the <a href="https://sportandpeace.utk.edu">University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace, and Society</a>, which has trained more than 80 athletes and professionals from 50 countries who work in the sports sector. Their questions, conversations with advocates around the world and the center’s work to promote the rights of people with disabilities led our team to create the <a href="https://sportandpeace.com/global-map/">Global Disability Rights Map</a>. </p>
<p>Many people want to replicate the protections that ADA provides in their own communities. The center provides training on existing laws and policies. It also helps athletes to create sport-based initiatives and improve the lives of people with disabilities in their home countries. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0KTH92eC3Ik?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace, and Society’s director, Dr. Sarah Hillyer, describes the purpose of the Global Disability Rights Map.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Global Disability Rights Map describes the laws and policies in a given country and connects them to the <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/ipc/history">Paralympic Movement</a>, a global effort to promote para sports and assist para athletes to achieve excellence in sport. The map also provides information to athlete activists on how to advocate for more inclusive rights.</p>
<p>There are websites dedicated to explaining national and international laws and policies protecting people with disabilities, such as the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/disability-laws-and-acts-by-country-area.html">United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs</a>. But there has never been an interactive global map that displays the rights of people with disabilities combined with information about the <a href="https://www.paralympic.org">Paralympics</a>, <a href="https://specialolympicsco.org">Special Olympics</a> and <a href="http://deaflympics.com">Deaflympics</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=318&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=318&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=318&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372265/original/file-20201201-13-pw8yno.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Photo of the Global Disability Rights Map.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">sportandpeace.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The map includes country-specific information about the national offices of the Paralympic Committee, Special Olympics and Deaflympics and statistics on a country’s participation in the two most recent international competitions. In addition, the map features a biographical sketch of a <a href="https://sportandpeace.com/global-map/">local athlete</a> using sport as a tool to promote the rights of people with disabilities and to foster greater social inclusion. </p>
<p>Designed as an open source platform, the map allows users to update and add new information on laws and policies and new sports-based disability rights initiatives. Updates are submitted through the website and reviewed by center faculty for accuracy before appearing on the map. </p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=experts">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get expert takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em>]</p>
<p><iframe id="9XpPs" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/9XpPs/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Mapping rights around the world</h2>
<p>One of the center’s goals is to facilitate stronger partnerships and better collaboration throughout the sport sector. For example, the International Paraplympic Committee is set to sign a <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/news/ipc-and-international-disability-alliance-sign-co-operation-agreement">historical cooperation agreement</a> with the International Disability Alliance “to advance the rights of persons with disabilities and jointly commit to use parasport as a vehicle to drive the human rights agenda forward.” Parasports are sports played by persons with disabilities, both physical and intellectual. Our map shows visually how interdisciplinary efforts from government, Parasports and local initiatives can advance human rights.</p>
<p>People with disabilities face numerous barriers every day. Our work at the center helps to equip people to become advocates and break down these barriers. As we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2019.1653219">research obstacles</a> facing people with disabilities, this map can act as a powerful tool to help strengthen these important human rights.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147723/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Hillyer receives funding from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs - Sports Diplomacy Division. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carolyn Spellings receives funding from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs - Sports Diplomacy Division. </span></em></p>The human rights of disabled people around the globe can be accessed as an online map for sports and competition.Sarah Hillyer, Director, Center for Sport, Peace, & Society, University of TennesseeCarolyn Spellings, Chief of Evaluation, Research, and Accountability and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1145012019-04-03T10:48:35Z2019-04-03T10:48:35ZThe Trump administration’s attempts to defund the Special Olympics, explained<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/267198/original/file-20190402-177163-1f9kr3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Special Olympics basketball clinic in Charlotte, N.C. in January 2019</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Hornets-Special-Olympics-Basketball/6165f87233c3438995677b59fbd53705/3/0">AP Photo/Chuck Burton</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government has long <a href="http://annualreport.specialolympics.org/financials">covered about a tenth</a> of the Special Olympics’ budget. This nonprofit that gives athletes with intellectual disabilities a chance to train and compete in a wide variety of sports gets most of the rest of its funding from charitable donations from <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/about/partners/">foundations</a>, <a href="https://resources.specialolympics.org/Topics/Research/Program_Research_Toolkit/Visibility___Corporate_Partnering.aspx">corporations</a> and <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Special-Olympics-Largest-Private-Donation-318639701.html">individuals</a>. It spent a total of roughly US$150 million in 2017, the most recent year for which information is available, with the federal government’s portion totaling $15.5 million.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump’s first three proposed budgets, for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 fiscal years, would have broken that formula. Instead of the usual arrangement, his first three draft spending plans called for <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/highschool/2019/03/26/betsy-devos-funding-cuts-special-olympics-warranted/39260497/">giving nothing at all</a> to the Special Olympics. </p>
<p>But for the upcoming fiscal year, the organization anticipates getting $17.6 million from Uncle Sam. That’s because Congress ignored the president’s proposed budgets and provided uninterrupted funding for the <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/trump-administrations-special-olympics-cuts-never-chance">Special Olympics</a> during the administration’s first two years. Now, Trump has disavowed his own proposed cuts. </p>
<p>Over the past several years, I have gained an increasing understanding of and appreciation for the Special Olympics through collaboration between the organization and American University, where I am a professor and direct the <a href="http://www.idppglobal.org/">Institute on Disability and Public Policy</a>.</p>
<p>Based on my scholarship about <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YqJKLwYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra">disability policies</a> around the world, I believe that stripping the program of federal funding would undercut the organization’s work: empowering <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/about/our-mission">people with intellectual disabilities</a> by reducing the stigma and discrimination against them though their participation in sports.</p>
<h2>The Special Olympics</h2>
<p>This script changed abruptly when Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told the <a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/legislation/hearings/department-of-education-budget-request-for-fy-2020">House Appropriations Committee</a> in late March about proposed <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/28/18285360/betsy-devos-special-olympics-shriver-pocan">educational cuts topping $7 billion</a>, including ending all U.S. funding for the Special Olympics in the 2020 fiscal year.</p>
<p>Amid the <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/436216-kennedy-on-cuts-to-special-olympics-this-will-never-happen">bipartisan uproar</a> over DeVos’ proposed cuts, Trump changed his mind. He declared he personally opposed this line item from his own budget proposal. There’s a good reason for the fuss this budget debate stirred up: No other organization does what the Special Olympics does.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/about/eunice-kennedy-shriver">Eunice Kennedy Shriver</a>, a fierce defender of the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, founded the Special Olympics more than 50 years ago. Unlike the Olympics, which primarily holds global sports events every other year, the Special Olympics holds at least one competition somewhere in the world almost every day. Its year-round training and sports competitions serve over 5.7 million athletes in 174 countries worldwide, from <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/programs/latin-america/argentina">Argentina</a> to <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/programs/africa/zambia">Zambia</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7reDes9mQRg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Education Secretary Betsy DeVos refused to give any details about federal funding for the Special Olympics when she responded to questions from Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The role of philanthropy</h2>
<p>During her congressional testimony, DeVos did praise the Special Olympics. As she pointed out, she does support the organization with some of <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/14/devos-education-donation/110430930/">the salary</a> that she – a <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a13086194/betsy-devos-net-worth/">billionaire</a> – has waived.</p>
<p>But she also said at first that the philanthropic support the organization gets renders federal funding for the Special Olympics unnecessary. “The Special Olympics is an awesome organization, one that is well supported by the philanthropic sector, as well,” she told <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/28/18285360/betsy-devos-special-olympics-shriver-pocan">Rep. Mark Pocan</a>, a Wisconsin Democrat.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.apnews.com/9e4bf2732b0744a98192c923ac19f38e">DeVos reversed course</a> in a subsequent statement. “I am pleased and grateful the President and I see eye-to-eye on this issue and that he has decided to fund our Special Olympics grant,” she said. “This is funding I have fought for behind the scenes over the last several years.”</p>
<p>Her staff now say they sought to restore the funds before the proposed cuts became contentious, and they blame efforts to get rid of the funds on the <a href="https://www.abc-7.com/story/40222169/wh-budget-office-not-devos-pushed-for-proposed-special-olympics-cuts-official-says">Office of Management and Budget</a>, a White House agency that administers federal spending.</p>
<p>DeVos was wrong when she initially said that the Special Olympics didn’t need federal funding because charity provides the money it needs. Federal funding covers a very specific Special Olympics initiative, its <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org/our-work/unified-champion-schools">Unified Champion Schools</a> program. The program uses sports as a foundation to build a climate of acceptance by having children with and without disabilities <a href="http://www.playunified.org">play sports together in schools</a>. This program promotes social inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities <a href="https://fusiontables.googleusercontent.com/embedviz?q=select+col6+from+1r7iMSTfn2-C_3__4eBDnyV6jyzh2dmXLjvvr22pt&viz=MAP&h=false&lat=45.940530610706396&lng=-59.62711314016417&t=1&z=3&l=col6&y=2&tmplt=3&hml=GEOCODABLE">across the country</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"831697083593785345"}"></div></p>
<p>While philanthropic support does contribute to the Champion Schools program, especially at the local level, federal funding allows the headquarters organization to administer and oversee the program. </p>
<p>What might have happened without the media attention brought about by DeVos’ confrontations with lawmakers? It looks likely that Congress would have ignored this proposed cut for a third time. </p>
<p><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/436097-gop-senator-says-special-olympics-cuts-will-not-be-approved">Sen. Roy Blunt</a>, a Missouri Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee that manages this segment of the budget, says he is a strong supporter of the Special Olympics. He has promised to protect its funding. </p>
<p>What’s more, this is hardly the only line item in Trump’s draft budgets <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/03/11/donald-trumps-budget-calls-billions-more-border-wall/3072621002/">Congress has been ignoring</a>. Nor is this the first time lawmakers have pushed back against many White House spending priorities.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1110970818455052288"}"></div></p>
<h2>Abdicating global leadership</h2>
<p>This proposed cut is only one of many the Trump administration has seemed to make <a href="http://time.com/5168472/disability-activism-trump/">people with disabilities</a> a low priority. But to be sure, <a href="https://specialedshortages.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Budget-Cuts-Survey-Press-Release.pdf">it’s not the first time</a> these concerns have arisen. In 2013, for example, a budgetary impasse forced an estimated $600 million <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/670/661444.pdf">reduction in special ed spending as part of the sequestration</a> process.</p>
<p>It’s also not the first time a White House has seemed insensitive about athletes with intellectual disabilities. President Barack Obama once <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7129997&page=1">inappropriately joked about being bad at bowling</a> by comparing himself to Special Olympics contenders. The difference between what happened next is stark.</p>
<p>Obama immediately apologized personally to Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver.</p>
<p>In contrast, after the administration tried to cut the budget, Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/28/politics/devos-special-olympics-durbin/index.html">blamed his underlings</a> and tried to <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-special-olympics-falsehoods-get-little-worse">take credit</a> for rescuing the Special Olympics funding that his own team jeopardized.</p>
<p>Current U.S. policies appear to be at odds with the nation’s historic role as a <a href="http://usicd.org/index.cfm/rightsnow">global leader</a> on disability rights. The United States was among the first countries in the world to pass legislation to support the multifaceted rights of people with disabilities, the landmark <a href="https://www.ada.gov">Americans with Disabilities Act</a>, or ADA, in 1990.</p>
<p>And American disability policies laid the foundation for and inspired the creation of the United Nations <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html">Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities</a>, a global treaty that 172 countries have ratified so far. The Obama administration signed the treaty but the Senate has not ratified it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114501/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Derrick L. Cogburn has received funding from The Nippon Foundation of Japan to launch the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) and create a masters program on comparative and international disability policy. American University has a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Special Olympics, and Dr. Cogburn coordinates that relationship.</span></em></p>The White House proposed these cuts for three years in a row. That clashes with longstanding bipartisan leadership regarding rights for all people with disabilities.Derrick L. Cogburn, Professor of International Service and Professor of Information Technology & Analytics at the Kogod School of Business, American University Kogod School of BusinessLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/994932018-08-08T20:49:35Z2018-08-08T20:49:35ZChildren with disabilities need better access to sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230960/original/file-20180807-191013-bjmuhm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Physical activity improves memory, problem-solving and decision-making ability. Active children have better executive functioning, including planning, self-regulation and the ability to perform demanding tasks with greater accuracy. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/thought-leadership/report-card/2018">Canada’s 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth</a>, published by the national non-profit organization ParticipACTION, gives Canadian children and youth an overall D+ grade for physical activity. </p>
<p>It calls for Canadian kids to get up and move. </p>
<p>For the first time, the report makes specific mention of the importance of physical activity to children with disabilities. Our team at the <a href="http://kidsbrainhealth.ca">Kids Brain Health Network</a> proudly contributed to, and enthusiastically endorses, its findings and recommendations.</p>
<p>This report card focuses on the connection between exercise and brain health, not for the sake of fitness alone, but for the health of their developing brains. It is a vital clarion call for change. </p>
<p>However, if all Canadian children are to enjoy their rights to play and participate, that call needs to be supported and amplified by voices at all levels. </p>
<p>Multiple, well-identified barriers stand in the way of children and youth with disabilities who want — and absolutely need — to be active. Research, commentary and coverage have yet to uproot those obstacles.</p>
<h2>Lack of equipment, inaccessible facilities</h2>
<p>Strategy and policy are important promoters of physical activity and sport, but when it comes to adapted programming for kids with disabilities, they are distinctly lacking.</p>
<p>Most extracurricular physical activity programming in Canada is offered through city and community organizations. There are many excellent accessible sites, but not enough to meet the need, and there is little or no coordination of efforts or offerings. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_1Bg1hk_1QI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Physical Activity for Child Development: A partnership between Special Olympics of B.C. and the Kids Brain Health Network.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A lack of appropriate equipment, coupled with a lack of professionals trained to support physical activity among children and youth with different ability levels, discourages participation. </p>
<p>Often, existing adapted and inclusive activities are not known to parents of children with disabilities, as they depend on word of mouth. Additional barriers can include inaccessible facilities and high costs of entry.</p>
<p>One parent told us: “I was so tired of this experience of trying something, and having my son feel like a failure because he can’t meet the expectations.” This mother and her son had both had enough. </p>
<p>Their frustration is such a frequent experience it has triggered interest in improving crucial first experiences with sport for children of all abilities.</p>
<p>Early, positive exposure to sports and physical activity encourages children to try and not give up. But negative experience is a significant deterrent — especially to ongoing participation for children with disabilities.</p>
<p>A significant step towards inclusion came last week, with the tabling of the <a href="http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-81/first-reading">federal Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada</a>. The Act proposes to identify, remove and prevent accessibility barriers in areas of federal jurisdiction. </p>
<p>This long-awaited legislation addresses federally-run programs and built environments, but it remains to be seen whether it will address or remove barriers to participation in sport and leisure activity.</p>
<h2>Active kids grow stronger</h2>
<p>Let’s focus for a moment on what the data is telling us about why physical activity is so important for children and youth with disabilities.</p>
<p>We know that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3">obesity</a> and mental health issues — including <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1001/2013.jamapediatrics.401">attention deficit</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02252.x">anxiety and depression</a> — are becoming more common among all children. They are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12462">even more prominent among children and youth with disabilities</a>, especially those that are brain-based or neurodevelopmental, such as <a href="https://autismcanada.org/#home-row-1">autism</a>, <a href="https://www.caddra.ca">ADHD</a> or <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder.html">fetal alcohol spectrum disorder</a>.</p>
<p>Even a single game, workout or activity can improve the capacity to focus in children with disabilities. Physical activity can also <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12395">contribute to better cognitive performance</a>, memory, the ability to problem-solve and decision-making. Active children <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.08.036">have better executive functioning, including planning, self-regulation and the ability to perform demanding tasks with greater accuracy</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230956/original/file-20180807-191013-1l3uyet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Physically-disabled children can find it hard to access sports, due to lack of appropriate equipment and adequately-trained professionals.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Because of previous exclusion or limited access, children with brain-based disabilities are likely to experience the greatest benefits in these areas when they participate in physical activity.</p>
<p>It’s all about the cycle of conditioning: active kids who stay active grow stronger and more physically literate as they age. The cycle of deconditioning works the same way: for children who don’t participate, the less they do, the less they’re able to do.</p>
<p>Physical activity can help support mental health and wellness among children and youth, minimizing symptoms of depression, diminishing anxiety and increasing resilience to stress. </p>
<p>Beyond the benefits to body and mind, participation also promotes inclusion. Social communication, activities of daily living and quality of life all improve with exercise — not only for the children but their families as well.</p>
<h2>Mapping Canada with an app</h2>
<p>Kids Brain Health Network, a federally funded Network of Centres of Excellence, supports research in physical activity to improve training among coaches, support staff and program managers. The network also develops capacity to support parents of kids within existing programs. </p>
<p>A key partner in this effort is Special Olympics B.C. Together, we’re developing a program to promote best practices and expand the range of children involved in Special Olympics activities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230954/original/file-20180807-7141-1j6p4av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rights of children to play and be healthy are established in international law.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another project we support is the <a href="http://www.jooay.com/">Jooay App</a> — designed to help children with disabilities and their families locate accessible sport and leisure opportunities close to home that suit their needs and abilities and match their preferences. </p>
<p>In addition to centralizing and highlighting what’s available, Jooay is also starting to map areas in Canada that are most deprived of these opportunities.</p>
<h2>The rights of children to play</h2>
<p>Solutions on the ground are vitally important, but we must also engage with policymakers and at the community level to ensure that policies, procedures and practices that prevent children with disabilities from participating get addressed. </p>
<p>We’re doing that through policy briefs and direct encounters at the federal and provincial levels, highlighting the rights of children to play and be healthy — as established in international law. In addition, we are working to generate community consensus on the steps needed to increase participation for children with disabilities.</p>
<p>We’re also listening to Canadian youth with disabilities who support our policy outreach. They tell us they want to participate in the same activities as their friends, in the communities where they live. They need coaches, staff and peers who are friendly and welcoming.</p>
<p>The solutions aren’t necessarily complex. They require involving children and youth with disabilities, and thinking inclusively as an integral part of planning health promotion and public health campaigns.</p>
<p>So, let’s get moving.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99493/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Goldowitz receives funding from CIHR. He is affiliated with the CHILD-BRIGHT SPOR. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keiko Shikako-Thomas receives funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) through the Canada Research Chair Program and the Strategy for Patient Oriented Research CHILD-BRIGHT, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of the Greater Montreal</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jean-Paul Collet does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sport and other physical activity is vital to the developing bodies and minds of children; for those with disabilities it can be hard to access and is yet even more important.Daniel Goldowitz, Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neurogenetics, University of British ColumbiaJean-Paul Collet, Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of British ColumbiaKeiko Shikako-Thomas, Canada Chair in Childhood Disability, Participation and Knowledge Translation, and Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.