2011 Special Olympics

Special Olympics Annual Report 2011 Special Olympics Annual Report 2011
STRENGTHENING
THE HEALTH
OF MILLIONS
Special Olympics is the world’s largest public health
organization for people with intellectual disabilities
—a population that can face severe health issues,
yet frequently receives inadequate care or no
The Gift of Sound
care at all. At Special Olympics Healthy Athletes
For Victor Ifesinachi, an athlete from Nigeria, his health screen- Right now, Special Olympics is reinventing its Healthy Hearing
ing at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games meant the
difference between sound and silence. Suffering from hearing
program—a push fueled by access to health providers worldwide
loss, Victor was fitted with a free hearing aid at the Healthy Hearing
venue. Prior to the Games, he was unable to speak and could only
communicate with his coach by reading lips and using his limited
abilities in sign language. Almost immediately after receiving his
®
24 PHOTOS: (Opposite) An athlete is tested at FUNfitness—a Healthy Athletes initiative that tests athletes’ 25
aerobic conditioning, strength, flexibility and balance. (Top left) Volunteer audiologists screen athletes and,
when possible, fit free hearing aids. (Top right) Victor Ifesinachi, an athlete from Nigeria, is fitted with a
custom ear mold for his new, free hearing aid provided by Healthy Athletes and sponsor Phonak LLC.
events, volunteer healthcare professionals provide
screenings, health services and referrals for
follow-up care in more than 100 countries. For
many athletes, these screenings provide an
opportunity to see a doctor for the very first time.
hearing device, he began to talk and joke with his teammates.
“Now he speaks loud and clear,” said his coach, Saheed Azeez
Aderinto. “As soon as I saw how he changed, I prayed for Special
Olympics so they could do this for more athletes like him.”
who are associated with our partner, the Hear the World Foundation,
which donated over 2,000 free hearing aids in 2011. Addressing
hearing loss can be challenging as hearing aids need to be fitted,
adjusted and serviced, meaning multiple visits to a professional.
With access to providers across the word, Special Olympics can
now provide this care. For athletes like Victor, the impact is felt
in his new ability to communicate and is heard in the sound of a
roaring crowd cheering him on.
READ MORE ON OUR WEB SITE:
WWW.SPECIALOLYMPICS.ORG/HEALTH