Impact

On top of providing training and competition opportunities in 17 sports, Special Olympics New Hampshire offers health, wellness, athlete leadership and school-based initiatives to 3,024 athletes across the state—all completely free of charge.

Improving Quality of Life

MYTH: Special Olympics is all about fun.

FACT: Special Olympics New Hampshire delivers high-quality training and competition in a culture that stresses athletic excellence, rewards determination, emphasizes health and celebrates personal achievement. Sixty-five percent of parents feel that participation in Special Olympics has raised their expectations of their sons and daughters.

Empowering Athletes

MYTH: People with intellectual disabilities are not contributing members of the workforce.

FACT: A person with intellectual disabilities who has participated in Special Olympics is twice as likely to be employed as a person with intellectual disabilities who has not participated in Special Olympics

Building Inclusive Communities

MYTH: People with intellectual disabilities are accepted as part of society.

FACT: Although inclusion, at least as a philosophy, has become broadly accepted, the full acceptance of individuals with intellectual disabilities has not yet been achieved.  Individuals with intellectual disabilities often fall victim to bullying or social exclusion. In schools, for example, only 10% of students identify themselves as having a friend with an intellectual disability.  But Special Olympics teammates without intellectual disabilities improve their attitudes toward people with ID as a result of participating in the program, with 79% reporting an increased understanding of people with ID.

Quick Facts