Erika is a happy rhythmic gymnastics athlete from the La Paz Department in Honduras. She enjoys sports training. She participated in national events and in the third Special Olympics Latin America Games, held in Panama in 2017.
Erika is one of the five children in her home. Her family appreciates how Special Olympics contributed to making her friendly, sincere, and considerate of others. She really likes to help other people. She provides the greatest support to fellow athletes by participating in and promoting health events in the community where medical care is provided for athletes. She also shares messages of inclusion during health promotion events in her community. She requests health professionals and families to reflect on the desirable behaviors from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities.
When asked about the changes that could improve access to health for people with intellectual disabilities Erika shared, “I would like doctors to be more attentive when caring for all people, including those with disabilities. There should be better respect for the rights of people with disabilities. There should be more openness for people with disabilities to be heard and for their needs to be met.”
Besides sports and advocacy, Erika is interested in costume jewelry making.
Health Messengers 2023
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Boniface Kimeu
Special Olympics Kenya -
Joyce Ramabusa
Special Olympics South Africa -
Ndèye Rokhaya Gaye
Special Olympics Senegal -
Juliwati Japi
Special Olympics Indonesia -
Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran
Special Olympics Vietnam -
Li Yan Ho
Special Olympics Hong Kong -
Tina Sirui Jia
Special Olympics China -
Janka Weber
Special Olympics Germany -
Michaela Duchova
Special Olympics Slovakia -
Peter Ispold
Special Olympics Slovakia -
Reynaldo Montova
Special Olympics Germany -
Catalina Cervantes Gamboa
Special Olympics Costa Rica -
Erika Maradiaga Soler
Special Olympics Honduras -
Gabriela Patricia Velásquez Rodríguez
Special Olympics El Salvador -
Paavlena Madhivana
Special Olympics Arizona -
Travis Sherrer
Special Olympics Alaska -
Katherine Elizabeth Little
Special Olympics British Columbia