Opening Doors to Inclusive Healthy Communities for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Special Olympics continues to open doors for healthcare access and to promote inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities with partnership from the Golisano Foundation
POLOKWANE, LIMPOPO — <17–19 November, 2022> — Ann Costello, the Golisano Foundation Executive Director, will visit this year’s Special Olympics South Africa National Games to witness the impact their global gift has made on community health care for people with intellectual disabilities in South Africa. The Golisano Foundation has partnered with Special Olympics International on a global initiative on inclusive health of $67 million over the past 10 years, of which Special Olympics South Africa was one of the first pilot sites in the world.
“People with intellectual and developmental disabilities around the world have been marginalized for generations — provided poor access to social, educational, and medical services. Preventable health conditions including hypertension, diabetes, dental decay, and uncorrected vision are far worse than that of the general population,” said Ann Costello, Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation. She added “we partner with Special Olympics because they work to improve the health of people with intellectual disabilities by delivering preventive care, health screenings, training health professionals and strengthening health systems in over 100 countries. For over a decade, we have worked together to close the gap in access to quality care and ensure a truly inclusive world for people with intellectual disabilities.”
During the 2022 Special Olympics South Africa National Games, more than 700 athletes with and without intellectual disabilities from across all nine provinces will compete. These competitions will determine which athletes advance to the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany. Over three days of events, competition will take place in nine sports: Athletics, Aquatics, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Football, Futsal, Netball and Table Tennis.
Health screenings — a program called Healthy Athletes — will be available free of charge to all athletes participating in the National Games. Health care professionals from seven disciplines will provide physical exams, vision, hearing, dental, nutrition, physiotherapy and podiatry screenings. Athletes are then referred for follow up care as needed, sometimes with urgent unmet medical needs. Special Olympics data shows that for every ten Special Olympics athletes:
· 2 have never had an eye exam
· 4 need a new prescription for glasses
· 2 have potential hearing loss
· 4 have untreated tooth decay, and 1–2 need urgent dental care
· 2–3 have low bone density
· 6 are underweight or overweight, and at risk for chronic health conditions
· 5 have problems with strength and 6 have problems with flexibility, placing them at risk for injury
· 5 have at least one kind of skin or nail condition
Trained health care professionals that participate in Special Olympics Healthy Athletes programming report improved awareness and self-efficacy in providing care for and communicating with patients with intellectual disabilities. When athletes have referrals for follow-up care, these trainees are instrumental in both providing and facilitating treatment from their own practices or their professional networks.
“Successful and sustainable community partnerships, coupled with the power of human compassion, can usher in a world of health equity for those with intellectual disabilities. We partner with Special Olympics because we both see the urgent need for more partners from the government, the private sector and philanthropy to step in and help us realize this global vision,” said Ann Costello, Executive Director, the Golisano Foundation.
“Special Olympics South Africa has provided around 30 000 free Healthy Athletes screenings since 2004, through the support of passionate health care professionals, local businesses and community health care structures,” said Ancilla Smith, CEO of Special Olympics South Africa. “The need is huge — we have 50,000 registered athletes but there are around 1.2 million children and adults with intellectual disabilities in South Africa. The gift from Golisano Foundation makes the training of more health care professionals, and the provision of more screenings, possible so that we can grow our network and reach at the local level.”
Special Olympics South Africa and the Department of Health in Limpopo are collaborating on the Healthy Athletes screenings, and a large-scale training event of 65 health professionals in the Limpopo province will take place during the Games from 17 –19 November. These trainees will then commit to volunteering with Special Olympics for future screening events.
As part of the Golisano Foundation’s site visit of the local work in South Africa, Ann Costello will visit the Fulufhelo Special School in Thohoyandou, Vhembe District. Out of the 190 countries in which the gift from Golisano Foundation is implemented, the innovative approach of Special Olympics Healthy Communities work in this setting during the COVID-19 shutdown attracted special notice. Over 700 athletes have been screened, as well as Young Athletes programming in early childhood development and support from Miss South Africa with a mental wellness drive.
A pilot site for Healthy Communities in 2012, Special Olympics South Africa has continued to sustain and strengthen Healthy Communities over the past ten years, partnering with organizations such as Gift of the Givers. During the pandemic, they have hosted webinars and virtual Family Health Forums emphasizing COVID-19 prevention, nutrition, fitness, and mental wellness. Special Olympics South Africa has procured a mobile health clinic with support from the government of Japan and has forged relationships with healthcare facilities to provide health care to people with intellectual disabilities.
As of 2022, Special Olympics South Africa has 3,700 athletes participating in in-person fitness activities and has recruited 4,000 paid athlete interns trained to implement SOFit programming in hundreds of schools nationwide. They have trained 99 athlete Health Messengers and provided preventative health education to 8,000 individuals. University partners this year include the Universities of Cape Town, Limpopo, Venda, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
About Special Olympics
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership. With more than six million athletes and Unified Sports partners in over 190 countries and territories and more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and over 100,000 games and competitions every year. Engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and our blog on Medium. Learn more at www.SpecialOlympics.org.
About the Golisano Foundation
Tom Golisano — entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader — is the founder of Paychex, Inc., the nation’s largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses. Mr. Golisano’s vision, perseverance, and action have left an indelible mark on a broad spectrum of issues that touch our lives — in business, healthcare, education, voter policies, politics, and tax reform. His continuing investments are helping drive the success of numerous businesses and start-ups. His personal philanthropic contributions to hospitals — including three children’s hospitals that bear his name — and numerous educational institutions and other organizations exceed $330 million. He has dedicated more than $95 million to advancing inclusive health around the world, including $67 million to Special Olympics, helping to close the significant gap in access to care for people with intellectual disabilities. A fierce advocate for dignity and inclusion, in 1985 Tom Golisano applied his pioneering spirit to establish the Golisano Foundation to make the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With more than $60 million in gross assets, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities awarding about $3 million annually to non-profit organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida. Connect with us at Golisanofoundation.org @GolisanoFdn @ThomasGolisano.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16 November 2022
Contact: Romi Reinecke
Special Olympics Africa Region
+27 11 706 3323
rreinecke@specialolympics.org
