Dear 

Student Delegation Nominee:

 
Special Olympics is pleased to invite you to apply to attend the 2010 Special Olympics USA
National Games being held in Lincoln, Nebraska this summer as a member of our Student
Delegation to the Games. Special Olympics has selected you as a potential member of this
Delegation, based on your research interests and/or past experience with the organization.
Airfare, lodging, and meals for all members of the Student Delegation will be paid for by Special
Olympics. Applications must be received by April 12th, 2010.

Since its inception, the Research and Evaluation department of Special Olympics (SO), has
aimed to engage the next generation of researchers. Through its student grants program and
through student delegations to major Games and SO-hosted conferences, Special Olympics
has supported student development, influenced attitudes of young professionals about
intellectual disability (ID), and raised awareness about the role of SO as a potential research
partner. Special Olympics Delegations to the 2006 USA National Games in Ames, Iowa, the
2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, and the 2009 World Winter Games in Boise,
Idaho were exposed to the power of the Games, challenged by research and policy discussions,
and informed and inspired to heighten their engagement with people with ID and with Special
Olympics. In keeping with this tradition, a student delegation will again be convened at the 2010
USA National Games in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Goals
 Expose students to the National Games experience and the full range of SO
programming, including research and evaluation activities and funding opportunities;
 Engage students in Special Olympics after they return home;
 Gather input from students about what they feel is needed to draw in and maintain new
scholars to the field and to engage them in research with SO;
 Create a network of students who are becoming involved with the field (enabling them to
build ties with one another).

Description of Role
Student delegates will be present in Nebraska from July 16-22. During this time, they will
engage in a variety of types of activities:

 Didactic Learning: Training sessions providing background information on SO

programming, as well as on the SO research agenda and on research opportunities for
students. Learning will also take place through attendance at educational sessions
taking place at the Games for youth, family members, and policy makers.
 Experiential Learning: Opportunities to witness the wide range of programming of SO by
attending Opening Ceremonies, Healthy Athletes, Young Athletes, Families activities,
and sports competitions;
 Collective Learning and Networking: Sessions focused on building relationships among
members of the Student Delegation and learning from delegates about how SO can
support the next generation of scholars. Sessions will include a focus group on what is
needed to engage and support early career academics in the field, as well as
presentations from student delegates on their own research;
 Post Games Learning: Students Delegation members will agree to engage in a small
SO-related project upon returning home. Some examples include: providing expertise to
an ongoing Special Olympics evaluation taking place in student’s home state, serving as
a reviewer on student grant applications for one year, or providing ongoing consultation
to Special Olympics around programs to engage early career professionals in the field.
 Individual projects will be customized to the student’s area of expertise and will be
developed with the student.

Requirements
 Current PhD student (or < 1 year post-doctorate and in a post-doctorate student
position)
 Available to be in Nebraska from July 16-22, 2010
 Background/research focus in ID/DD
 Able to complete a small project (20 hours) with Special Olympics after the Games

Submit
 Completed application form
 Due April 12th on a rolling basis – please apply early!

This packet includes an application form, a sample Student Delegation schedule from last year’s
Delegation in Boise, and information on Special Olympics and the 2010 USA National Games.
Please contact Amy Harris, Manager of Research and Evaluation (202-824-0217 or
aharris@specialolympics.org) with any questions and send your completed materials to her at
your earliest convenience. We hope to see you in Nebraska!

Best wishes,
Dr. Stephen B. Corbin
Senior Vice President, Community Impact Division
 
Amy Harris
Manager, Research and Evaluation
Special Olympics, Inc
1133 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 824-0217
Fax: (202) 824-0200
 2010 USA National Games
Student Researcher Stipend
Application Form

Name:

Institution:

Degree Program/Current Year:

Email address/phone number:

List prior work in the field of intellectual disabilities (research and practice/service): (Note:
please attach citations to any journal articles on which you are an author.)

All members of the Student Delegation will have the opportunity to present findings to other
students. On what topic would you present?

___________________________________________________________________________

List any other work or experiences that you feel make you a good candidate for this stipend
(include any experience with Special Olympics)1:

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

1
You may attach a resume/CV/faculty recommendation and other supporting materials if you wish. Please return to
Amy Harris at aharris@specialolympics.org
Schedule from 2009 Student Delegation in Boise, Idaho

Date Time  
  Start End Event/Activity Name
       
Saturday 2/6 Arrive
       
GYAS* Assembly of Delegates Session 1:
Sunday 2/7 Welcome, Plenary Session, Ice Breakers,
10:4 Agreements and expectations for Global
9 5 Youth Unity Summit
  11 12 Overview of Special Olympics
  12 2 Lunch
  3 5:30 Opening Ceremony
  6 8 Founder's Reception
       
11:3 Special Olympics Research and
9
Sunday 2/8 0 Evaluation Agenda and Opportunities
  11:30 1:15 Lunch
GYAS* Assembly of Delegates Session 2:
  1:15 3 R-word
GYAS* Assembly of Delegates Session 3:
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities and Optional
  3:30 5:30 Protocols/UNICEF blueprint for action
  2 7 Healthy Athletes Screenings
       
Competitions: Snowshoeing, Floor
Hockey, Alpine Skiing, Figure Skating,
Speed Skating, Snowboarding, and Cross
Monday 2/9 All Day Country Skiing
10 11 Young Athletes Experience
  11 12 MATP (Motor Activities Training Program)
  12 1 Lunch
  1 5 Student Research Presentations
  5 9 Healthy Athletes Screenings

GYAS* 1-2: Youth Calls to Action (JOIN,

  6:30 8:30 VOLUNTEER, SHARE, and GIVE)
       
10:3 Focus Group Around Engaging the Next
9
Tuesday 2/10 0 Generation of Scholars
GYAS* Assembly of Delegates Session 4:
  10:30 12 Opportunity - Sports Equity Act
   12 1:30 Lunch
GYAS* Assembly of Delegates Session 5:
Social Policy in Civil Society - Removal of
  1:30 4 Offensive Terms in Laws
  5 9 Healthy Athletes Screenings
       
GYAS* Assembly of Delegates Closing
Wednesday 11:3 Session (Session 6): State of the
2/11 9 0 Movement; Motions, debate and voting
  AM PM Leave
       
*GYAS is the Global Youth Activation
Summit. Student Delegates will not
participate in the Summit, but rather will
be audience members for portions of the
      Summits.
       
      Requirements:
      Must attend Opening Ceremony
Must attend GYAS Assembly of
Delegates Session 1 and one other
      GYAS session
Must attend at least one Healthy Athletes
      Screening
      Must attend the highlighted sections

Special Olympics Overview

Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities
to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition. Special
Olympics currently serves 3.2 million people with intellectual disabilities in more than 225 programs in 180 countries.

Mission and Goals

Mission
The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type
sports to children and adults with intellectual disabilities in order to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage,
experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes
and the community.

Current Goals
 To achieve quality growth by creating innovative opportunities to bring the Special Olympics experience to more
of the world’s 190 million people with intellectual disabilities
 To create positive public attitudes toward a population that is often rejected or forgotten
 To promote global athlete leadership and dedicate the movement to empowerment and dignity, not charity
 To change negative attitudes and misperceptions about people with intellectual disabilities, replacing stigma and
rejection with an emphasis on potential, ability and acceptance

Special Olympics 2010 USA National Games

WHEN
July 18 – 23, 2010
Cessna Airlift Citation Athlete Arrival: July 17, 2010
Opening Ceremony: July 18, 2010
Closing Ceremony: July 23, 2010
Cessna Airlift Citation Departure: July 24, 2010

WHO
3,000 athletes from 50 states
1,000 coaches and official delegates
15,000 athletes’ family members and friends
8,000 volunteers
30,000 estimated spectators

WHERE
The Games and competition will be based around the University of Nebraska Lincoln and the Lincoln community.

SPORTS
Competition will include:
Athletics (Track & Field)
Gymnastics (Rhythmic)
Aquatics (Swimming)
Powerlifting
Basketball
Softball
Bocce
Soccer
Bowling
Tennis
Flag Football
Volleyball
Golf

PROGRAMMING
Educational seminars will be offered to athletes and their families. Additional programming will be aimed to increase public
knowledge and understanding of the capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities.

EXHIBITS
Major sponsors and area businesses will host a Festival Area filled with information and activities for Games attendees.

VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers will be a key component to the overall success. Over 8,000 individuals will be needed to assist with the
competition and signature events.

Special Olympics History

June 1962
Eunice Kennedy Shriver starts a summer day camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at her home in
Maryland to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.

19-20 July 1968

The 1st International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. 1,000
individuals with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada compete in track and field and swimming.

December 1971
The U.S. Olympic Committee gives Special Olympics official approval as one of only two organizations authorized to use
the name “Olympics” in the United States.

5-11 February 1977

Steamboat Springs, Colorado, hosts the 1st International Special Olympics Winter Games with more than 500 athletes
competing in skiing and skating events. CBS, ABC and NBC television networks cover the Games.

1981
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is launched in Wichita, Kansas (USA), where Police Chief Richard
LaMunyon saw an urgent need to raise funds for and increase awareness of Special Olympics. The Torch Run is now the
movement's largest grassroots fundraiser, raising $30 million annually.

September 1986
The United Nations in New York City launches the International Year of Special Olympics under the banner “Special
Olympics—Uniting the World.”

October 1987
“A Very Special Christmas,” a benefit album featuring holiday music by top rock & roll performers, is released worldwide.
Produced by Jimmy and Vicki Iovine of A&M Records and Bobby Shriver, all proceeds benefit Special Olympics. More
than 2 million records, compact discs and cassette tapes are sold.

February 1988
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signs a historic agreement with Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, in which
the IOC officially endorses and recognizes Special Olympics.

July 1988
Special Olympics Unified Sports® is launched at the annual Special Olympics Conference in Reno, Nevada, and Lake
Tahoe, California. Bowling, volleyball and softball are the first sports to be included.

20-27 March 1993

The 5th Special Olympics World Winter Games are hosted in the beautiful Austrian cities of Salzburg and Schladming.
These are the first World Winter Games held outside North America.  

1-9 July 1995

A number of new initiatives make their debut at the 9th Special Olympics World Summer Games, including the Host Town
Program, Healthy Athletes® and Research and Policy Symposia, and, for the first time, people with intellectual disabilities
serve as certified officials.

January 1997
Healthy Athletes becomes an official Special Olympics initiative, providing health-care services to Special Olympics
athletes worldwide. The program includes free vision, hearing and dental screening, injury prevention clinics and nutrition
education.

20 July 1998
Special Olympics celebrates its 30th anniversary with the introduction of 12 30th Anniversary Special Olympics Sargent
Shriver International Global Messengers who travel the world as spokespeople for the movement for the next two years.

17 December 1998
U.S. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton host “A Very Special Christmas from Washington D.C.”—
marking the first time that the White House hosts a Special Olympics gala and the first time that artists from “A Very
Special Christmas” album series gather together to perform. In 2000, President and Mrs. Clinton host “A very Special
Christmas” for the second time.

2000
The “Campaign for Special Olympics” sets unprecedented goals to increase athlete participation by 1 million and to raise
more than $120 million over the course of the next five years, changing the face of the movement.

18-22 May 2000

As part of the “Campaign for Special Olympics,” Arnold Schwarzenegger joins Special Olympics athletes to light the
“Flame of Hope” at the Great Wall of China and launch the Special Olympics China Millennium March, kicking off the most
ambitious growth campaign in the movement’s history. China pledges to increase its current number of athletes from
50,000 to 500,000 by 2005.

12-14 July 2001

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Sun City South Africa, host Special Olympics African Hope. Former President Nelson
Mandela, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Special Olympics athletes gather to light the “Flame of Hope” and kick off the
largest Law Enforcement Torch Run through the streets of Cape Town. The event generates awareness of the movement
throughout the continent and marks the launch of a major growth initiative to reach 100,000 new athletes in Africa by 2005.

October 2001
Special Olympics develops and distributes SO Get Into It™ kits for students with and without disabilities to schools and
teachers worldwide at no cost. The kit teaches young people about intellectual disabilities while empowering them to “be
the difference” by learning values of inclusion, acceptance and respect.

19-20 July 2002

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund partners with Special Olympics to host an annual birthday celebration for its founder
and chairperson, former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, and helps Special Olympics launch its Unified
Sports® program.
21-29 June 2003
Ireland hosts the first Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held outside the United States. 5,500 athletes
participate in this landmark event. It is the largest sporting event in 2003, capturing the hearts and imaginations of the Irish
people.  

20 June 2003
“The Multinational Study of Attitudes toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities” reports on how people across the
world view the roles and capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities in the workplace, classroom and daily social
life. The study is the most comprehensive ever conducted on this subject.

30 October 2004
U.S. President George W. Bush signs the “Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act, “ which appropriates $15
million per year over five years to fund the growth of Special Olympics and support initiatives that foster greater respect
and understanding for people with intellectual disabilities. The signing marks the first time that Special Olympics secures
support through legislation.

23 December 2005
"The Ringer," a Farrelly Brothers film starring Johnny Knoxville, opens in theaters throughout Canada and the United
States. The film includes appearances from more than 150 athletes. Its producers collaborate with Special Olympics to
challenge destructive stereotypes and negative thinking about people with intellectual disabilities.

2006
Special Olympics surpasses its goal of doubling the number of athletes that participate worldwide to 2.5 million
participants. With sports at the core, the movement stands as a leader in advancing rights and opportunities and policy
change for its athletes in 165 countries worldwide.

10 June 2006
President and Mrs. George W. Bush host a tribute dinner at the White House to honor Special Olympics for its
unprecedented growth over the past five years on the birthday of founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

October 2007
The city of Shanghai, China, hosts the 12th Special Olympics World Summer Games, which are broadcast internationally
on an unprecedented scale. These Games, with more than 7,500 athletes from 164 countries participating, are a historic
moment in the movement’s history. 

July 2008
Special Olympics celebrates its 40th anniversary as a true global movement, with almost 3 million athletes in more than
180 countries around the world.

February 2009
The Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho, USA, draws nearly 2,000 athletes from close to 100 countries.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited and declared special needs advocacy "a civil rights movement."

May 2009
The U.S. National Portrait Gallery unveils a historic portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of Special Olympics. 
This historic painting is the first portrait the Gallery has ever commissioned of an individual who has not served as a U.S.
President or First Lady.

11 August 2009
The founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, dies at her family home in Massachusetts. Letters and
messages celebrating her contribution to humanity poured in from world leaders and ordinary people around the world.
See www.eunicekennedyshriver.org
November 2009
"A Very Special Christmas 7" is released, infusing the Christmas record series with the energy and talent of a new
generation of music stars. See www.veryspecialchristmas.org.