The Special Olympics North America (SONA) Health Team, Special Olympics International (SOI), and Special Olympics state chapters attended the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) annual meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the end of October and presented as one of APHA’s Key Sessions. This session was titled “In Pursuit of Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD)-Inclusive Health Systems: Special Olympics International as a Champion of Health Equity.” Moderated by Tom Quade, Senior Director of Health Programs at SONA and APHA past president, the panel mapped four meaningful health equity projects in which Special Olympics is engaging with health system partners.
These projects include:
- Assessing health systems and their accompanying health policies through the Rosemary Collaboratory to determine how effectively they include people with IDD.
- Coordinating care to connect athletes with resources that promote positive health outcomes.
- Training healthcare providers to improve care for individuals with disabilities.
- Addressing financial barriers to ensure accessible care for people with IDD.
Among those who presented were Athlete Leader Annu Singleton from Special Olympics Maryland, Emma Richardson from Special Olympics Washington, Dr. Jae Kennedy from Washington State University, Jennifer Morris from National Care Advisors, Dr. Rebecca N. Weston from University of Maryland School of Nursing, and Shannon Rohn Deere from Leavitt Partners, LLC.
A highlight from the Key Session was Annu Singleton’s reflections about his rich experiences as a Special Olympics Maryland Athlete Leader and University of Maryland Standardized Patient. A standardized patient simulates medical scenarios in clinical and non-clinical settings for training purposes. Singleton shared how important it is for health systems to be inclusive and why having people with IDD involved in the development of training for healthcare providers, drafting of health policy, and advocacy for accessible care are necessary to reduce barriers.
Special Olympics’ presence at APHA extended beyond this Key Session, with additional presentations by SONA Senior Manager of Health, Charita Boseman and SOI Vice President, Health Research & Evaluation, Andrew Lincoln. Boseman presented the outcomes of the 6-week SONA Move virtual fitness challenge for adults with IDD. Lincoln represented the Research and Evaluation team to present on the types of multidisciplinary health screenings and services the Healthy Athletes program provides to individuals with IDD globally. Lincoln also presented on Project ALL STAR (Active Life and Longevity: Special Olympics Transforming Athlete Results), a collaboration among state chapters, researchers, athletes, and Special Olympics that aims to strengthen programs through better understanding of Special Olympics’ impact on athlete physical, socio-emotional, and mental health.
Through these sessions, public health professionals and self-advocates were able to gain a better understanding of Special Olympics’ health programming and the value of considering and intentionally including people with IDD in the important work of advancing health equity.
