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Below is an excerpt from a STAT News article titled “How Special Olympics Started the Push for Better Disability Data,” which talks about Special Olympics’ ongoing work to improve healthcare for people with intellectual disabilities.
On July 1, 1995, the world’s spotlight shone on the Yale University football stadium in New Haven, Connecticut. It was the latest Special Olympics World Games, and organizers had decided to host the Special Olympics in 1995. Lined up The opening ceremony was attended by a number of major musicians such as Hootie & the Blowfish and Boyz II Men. Also in attendance were US President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
But amid all the noise, a grim reality was lost: One in six athletes had to be sent to the emergency room.
“The 15 percent of emergency department referrals were for serious oral conditions with severe pain,” said Tim Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics Board of Directors. “These are people coming off the track after playing soccer.”
Organizers discovered the health problems because they were just testing a new program called healthy athletesIn the decades since the first Special Olympics in 1968, organizers have seen a lack of health care options for their athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To address this, they have brought doctors into the stadium for routine checkups—including vision, hearing and dental exams—and discovered ailments that had long been overlooked.
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