Special Olympics - Ashley Payne

On Saturday, September 15, 2012, I volunteered at the Special Olympics Fall Festival at Lake Land College in Mattoon, IL.  The event was from 8:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. 

I learned many things from volunteering at this event, but I would have to say the main thing I learned is that people with special needs are people too.  I know that sounds bad, but I had never really spent a great deal of time with people with disabilities, so learning how these people think, act, and feel helped me realize that we are more similar than we are different.  We learned that concept in this FCS course a few weeks ago when the guest speakers with disabilities came to speak to our class.  They reminded us to put the person first, not the disability.  The Special Olympics helped me understand the importance of that principle and put it into action.  I also learned how loving individuals with special needs can be.  I cannot tell you how many hugs I received that day, from so many of the participants whom I had never met before.  I did not hear one unkind word spoken that day; everyone was so nice and helpful to one another.  This sort of demonstrates resilience, which is another concept we have covered in this course.  Being able to bounce back and still be optimistic despite adverse circumstances is a noble trait of individuals with disabilities.  They did not choose their circumstances; many of those individuals were born into them, like the majority of humans are. 

While volunteering, I was able to network with other volunteers, many of whom were like me, doing this for school.  One young woman, though, was not an EIU student, but a worker or volunteer (I didn’t ask) at a facility or school for individuals with special needs.  The girl who was my “Friend for a Day” knew this young woman from a summer camp she had previously attended, and gave her lots of hugs.  Many of the participants knew this young woman and wanted to be in her company.  The way she interacted and talked to these individuals was truly inspiring.  She knew exactly what to say to them and how to say it.  Individuals with special needs can be very sensitive, and she understood that and took that into account in everything she did and said to them.  By networking with her and seeing the way she cared for and seemingly loved those individuals with special needs gave me a new perspective on how I should conduct myself around individuals with special needs.  I hope I can take some of her empathy and compassion and share that the next time I encounter a person with disabilities.

The Special Olympics can and did have many affects on the community.  It had effects on not only this community but many others due to its participants traveling from cities far away to attend.  Because the event was open for the community to volunteer, it gave them a chance to give back and participate in service for their community.  Being able to communicate and interact with individuals with disabilities is another positive aspect of the Special Olympics because so much of the population does not have that opportunity on a regular basis.  Having this sort of event in a rather small town also gives the community something to be proud of.  Knowing that the Mattoon/Charleston area supports individuals with special needs gives me something to be proud of, and I just moved here!  The participants with special needs, of course, benefit from this event.  The staff at the event told us volunteers that the Special Olympics is like these people with special needs’ Christmas.

Overall, I am very pleased with my experience and proud of my volunteer time.  However, I am more proud of the fact that I learned so much about individuals with special needs.  Figuring out that these individuals are just like anyone else, only with a disability, was big for me.  Actually, the majority of those individuals were probably even better people than many of us who do not have a disability, making them at the advantage and us at the disadvantage.  I went into this volunteer experience thinking that I will do this for my class and be done, however, now that it is over and the aura of that experience has surrounded and exhilarated me, I am planning on volunteering at every Special Olympics during my time at EIU and beyond.  This event was to help individuals with special needs, but in the end, I truly believe it helps the people without special needs even more.