For children with disabilities, sports can instill a sense of self confidence within themselves; but due to the fear of society, their developmental milestones are being prohibited. According to the U.S’s Department of Education, knowledgeable adults create the possibilities for the children to participate. If society is telling these children that they cannot play just because the parents and other authority figures do not want them hurt, they are restricting the children. As long as these children have the intellectual and physical aspects needed to play those sports, they should not be denied the opportunity.

There are a number of disabilities, whether they are physical or mental. Physical disabilities such as having congenital limb deficiencies can cause a child to want to hide from society. They believe that they are a disgrace and don’t belong, occasionally these children will blame their parents for “making them like that” (Amputee Coalition). Another physical disability is physical tourette’s. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder that consists of involuntary repetitive movements or vocalizations. The movements and vocalizations are called tics, these tics can cause children embarrassment at time. They have no control what so ever of the tics and they can become worse with excitement and/or anxiety. But, the tics do get better during a calm focused activity (Medicine Net). Mental disabilities are slightly more challenging for children because this alters more than just the outside of them. For example, Autism is a developmental disability that affects a persons communication and social interaction skills. Children with Autism also share genetic traits with ADHD, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and clinical depression. So on top of having a developmental problem with communication and social skills, these children may be viewed as “crazy” because they could be talking to themselves due to schizophrenia, or “very moody” due to the bi-polar disorder (Nordqvist).

In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a day camp in her own home for people with intellectual disabilities. Six years later on July 20, 1968, it had formed into The Special Olympics. The Special Olympics doesn’t just focus on rehabilitating the physical body but it also helps rebuild their skills in society. The workers/volunteers are specially trained to train these special athletes and focus on their individual needs. In the Olympics there are three different categories, the first one is for deaf children. The trainers have studied and mastered sign language so that they are able to communicate with and push these special athletes to the best of their ability. The second group is for physical disabilities. This is for the children in wheelchairs or with prosthetics limbs, they are all placed in the correct age group, or skill level team so that they all have a fair advantage. The third group is for children with intellectual disabilities. Those disabilities include Autism and Down-Syndrome. This third group has specialized trainers to deal with the physical outburst that the children will have at certain times. All in all, the groups strive for excellence, not in winning but in reaching the goals that the children have set for themselves (Weiss).

For these children to actually feel like they are being included in the games you have to support them and not be afraid of their disability (YouTube). The Special Olympics offers several games that are not just for children with disabilities but they’re unified with other children who do not have disabilities. The principal to the unification is “training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding” (Special Olympics).The rules to the game(s) are all the same, they are just modified reasonably so that the children have a fair advantage. For example, if you have deaf children running track you could use a laser to start a race instead of a pistol (Duncan).

Just because the Special Olympics is geared towards children with disabilities does not mean that the sports have to be changed and super safe for them. The Olympics offers a wide variety of games and activities that many people in our society would not expect disabled children to participate in. For example, they offer alpine skiing, badminton, basketball, cross country, equestrian, figure skating, floor hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, powerlifting, roller skating, sailing, snowshoeing, softball, short track, speed skating, team handball, tennis and volleyball(Weiss). The majority of our society would expect disabled children to fail at these sports, but what they don’t know is that the children aren’t competing to see who is best, but they’re competing for their selves.
The benefits of sports for these children are outstanding. Many children have a hard time interacting with other children because they know there is a difference between them. These children are afraid of being bullied; the programs offered to special needs children encourage social interaction, unification and hard work. Also, it stimulates the child a whole lot more than just sitting there and drawing a picture. It’s more work on the motor skills of the brain, but it helps the development. The big benefit of sports for these children is that it gives them a sense of self confidence and satisfaction. When they succeed at the game that they have been struggling in, they know that they have improved and they feel as if they’ve won “their own game” (Evans). The statistics for school aged children with disabilities in the United States is 76.5%. That number doesn’t just include disabilities like Autism; it also includes dyslexia, ADHD, bi-polar disorder and much more (U.S. Census Bureau).  In the schools, having dyslexia or ADHD is “normal”; no one is treated differently because of it. Children with disabilities shouldn’t be treated differently either, yes they have different features that other children don’t. But that doesn’t give anyone the right to pick on them or call them names. That makes them unique in their own way. They bring life back into the sports, somewhat taking out the excessive competitiveness and putting in the sense of humility and joy.

The milestones for children ages 5-17 can always be hindered by society. Whether society tells you, “You can’t do it” or it tells you “go ahead and we’ll watch you fail”, it can’t stop you from trying. Children with disabilities are constantly told no because society is afraid of them getting hurt because of how “fragile” they are. They may be fragile but their heart is ten times bigger than ours and has a lot more dedication and loyalty to what they put their head to. “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 says it pretty well; these Children are setting an example for us. They have so much faith in themselves that we should be  able to reciprocate back to them, we as a society should not doubt them or looking down on them we need to encourage them and support them.

Works Cited
"We Must Provide Equal Opportunity in Sports to Students with Disabilities." EDgov Blog. U.S. Department of Education, 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Reading. CREATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND EXTRACURRICULAR ATHLETICS (2011): n. pag. U.S. Department of Education, Aug. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Duncan, Arne. “We Must Provide Equal Opportunity in Sports to Students with Disabilities.” Ed. HomeRoom. 23 April 2013. Web. 23 April 2015.
"LIKE EVERYONE ELSE." YouTube. YouTube, 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
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"InMotion Easy Read: Ways Children Adjust to Limb." InMotion Easy Read: Ways Children Adjust to Limb. Amputee Coalition, 25 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"Tourette Syndrome: Get the Facts on Treatment and Symptoms." MedicineNet. N.p., 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Autism?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 1 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"Unified Sports." Special Olympics: Unified Sports. Special Olympics, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Evans, Candice. "SpecialNeeds.com." Sports Programs for Special Needs. Special Needs, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"U.S. Disability Statistics of School Age Children." Disabled World. U.S. Census Bureau, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.