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Special Olympics response to Obama's disparaging joke Chairman Timothy Shriver has released the following statement: President Obama called last night and expressed his regret and he apologized. He said that he did not intend to humiliate Special Olympics athletes or people with intellectual disabilities. He was sincere and heartfelt, and said that he is a fan of our movement and is ready to work with our athletes to make the United States a more accepting and welcoming country for all people with special needs." Words hurt and words matter. Words can cause pain and result in stereotypes that are unfair and damaging to people with intellectual disabilities. And using "Special Olympics" in a negative or derogatory context can be a humiliating put-down to people with special needs." This is a teachable moment for our country. We are asking young people, parents and leaders from all walks of life to engage in conversation and help dispel negative caricatures about people with intellectual disabilities. We believe that it's only through open conversation and dialogue about how stereotypes can cause pain that we can begin to work together to create communities of acceptance and inclusion for all." Special Olympics is not a program, but a worldwide movement operating 30,000 events a year in more than 180 countries. Every one of them is a chance for people of all ages to get involved, to think differently about attitudes and perceptions they may have about people with intellectual disabilities, and to make a difference. " And so we challenge people to join our "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign, a youth-led national awareness effort that will launch on March 31, where we are asking people to pledge their respect for people with special needs. We're asking people to sign our "R-word" pledge, to join in our Unified Sports programs, to volunteer, and to be fans of our athletes and our movement." Additionally, we challenge policy leaders at all levels to commit to improving the support and resources for people with intellectual disabilities in areas such as healthcare, education, housing and recreation. " Finally, we invite the President to take the lead and consider hiring a Special Olympics athlete to work in the White House. In so doing, he could help end misperceptions about the talents and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities, and demonstrate their dignity and value to the world. 
Top tags: special, disabilities, intellectual, olympics, asking, athletes, movement, words, work, cause Comments from Mar Matthias Darin In the neighborhood I grew up in, Obama would have been called "Ghetto Scum" for disparaging Special Olympics. This type of behavior is why active or "sitting" presidents don't go on entertainment shows. All this does is degrade the Office of the President. Comments from Cnet 97.65.53.53 Obama is so classy..... Mr. President, I know your efforts to help the economy by bailing everyone out are failing miserably....but don't take our your frustration on mentally challenged kids. Good grief. Comments from Sherry 24.78.34.131 As the parent of a physically challenged child as well as someone who has had many friends who are intellectually challenged, it hurts me to hear of others talk down on those who live with these challenges. One of my favorite friends growing up was a young man with Down's Syndrome. I was also part of a youth group in the 1970's that was educated in the conditions faced in institutions prior to society's enlightenment and integration of children with disabilities into the school systems. Institutions were the residents were treated like animals. May those days be forever banished. The Special Olympics plays a vital role in many educational ways. For myself, it helps to ensure that our society will no longer accept the subjecting of those living with intellectual disabilities to those dehumanizing practices again. Mr. President, with all due respect, I suggest you put you actions where your words are and befriend an individual with intellectual challenges. Your personal interaction will ensure you never again talk down to them regardless of intent. I applaud the suggestion that a Special Olympics athlete be hired to work in the White House. Comments from Mar Matthias Darin Cnet: Amen! Sherry: Well said! Comments from tahtimbo 71.209.51.169 Did you know that the Special Olympics World Winter Games were held in Boise, Idaho last month? There were almost 2,000 athletes from 94 countries. There were press and documentary film crews from as far away as Finland, Russia, and New Zealand, to name just a few. Guess which country didn't send any news crews. Yep, ours! Save for a single ESPN team and local news teams, there was no press coverage. My wife volunteered for the Speed Skating venue and she met some fantastic athletes and coaches. She told me that they would hold up signs asking where the U.S. press was. Doesn't that make you proud to be an American? Sorry for the rant, but these athletes demonstrate the true meaning of competition and teamwork and should be treated with the respect and honor they deserve. Thank you for letting me vent. Comments from Jan from BetterSpines 59.100.82.50 Is it just me? Or has everyone lost their sense of humour? Comments from Mar Matthias Darin Something like this strikes a deep nerve in a vast majority of people. Until the 1970s, people, including children, were locked away in institutions and treated like a disease. Comments against a group that can not really speak for or defend themselves is like a line in the sand where humor quickly fades, espacially when it comes from a person where better is expected. Obama's campaign rhetoric was on uniting this nation. His off-key, tasteless, and deplorable comment serves to do anything but unite this nation. As President of the United States, he is supposed to set an example for the rest of the nation. The example he set was not a favorable or good one.
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