Daina Shilts (l) joined Davis on stage yesterday to share her Special Olympics experiencesTONY FLOREZ
The Special Olympics are creating sustainable change and making inclusion a reality, said Special Olympics Int'l CEO Mary Davis during a presentation on the opening day of the CAA World Congress of Sports. She said the event has grown dramatically from the first Games at Chicago's Soldier Field in '68 to the World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi last month. Davis said the event helped the UAE and more nations around the globe place a greater emphasis on inclusion. The program has been in the news lately due to its uncertain funding status in the upcoming federal budget. Multiple-time Special Olympics medalist Daina Shilts joined Davis on stage to share her experiences from being isolated as a child because of her intellectual disability to winning Gold as a snowboarder. “Special Olympics changed my life in so many ways,” said Shilts. “I look at it like it’s okay to be different. I found I do have a voice.” One of the lessons Shilts said she learned from Special Olympics -- “Never let our disability define us. Let our abilities push us further.” As she finished her presentation, the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
