There are times when organizations and individuals make profound improvements in the lives of others. They make the world a better place.
And there have been many who have seized the opportunity to right some wrongs in this world, be it a day laborer who stands up to exploitation or a Fortune 500 chief executive officer who champions ethical company policies that value more than the bottom line.
Some make big changes; others, much smaller, but all matter no less.
A woman who made a very big difference in improving the quality of life for the intellectually disabled died this month. The world lost Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a champion for the disabled. But her legacy, the Special Olympics, an organization she founded in 1968, lives on. Importantly, Mrs. Shriver influenced societal perception and public acceptance of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
She opened doors to playing fields for them, and by doing so, helped change a common mindset that had accepted the practice of shutting away the intellectually disabled to an institution where they would be out of sight and hidden from the public.
For those who remember public schools during the 1960s, children with intellectual disabilities — at least those who were allowed into school — often attended classes in a room hidden away from the mainstream student body.
Mrs. Shriver sparked a movement to change all of that. She accomplished what no one else had done before her: she created an organization that celebrated the athletic abilities of individuals who weren’t like most kids who went to public school during the 1960s.
A tireless, dedicated and vigilant proponent of equality for all people, Mrs. Shriver eloquently made her opinion very clear at the 1987 Special Olympics World Games in South Bend, Ind. She said, “The right to play on any playing field? You have earned it. The right to study in any school? You have earned it. The right to hold a job? You have earned it. The right to be anyone’s neighbor? You have earned it.”
It was her personal experience with her sister Rosemary, who was born intellectually disabled, that cemented her earnest desire to change society’s perception of the disabled and fight for the powerless. Her parents and siblings included Rosemary at their social functions, and celebrated her life.
In 1962, she founded Camp Shriver on her own family farm in Maryland, with 34 children, 26 counselors. The camp was just the beginning. Mrs. Shriver had a vision, and that vision was the Special Olympics. When she launched the first Special Olympics Games in 1968 in Chicago, 1,000 athletes from 26 states and Canada competed. She predicted that one day, perhaps 1 million athletes would compete.
She had underestimated the power and reach of the organization she had founded. According to the organization, today more than 3 million Special Olympic athletes train year-round in all 50 states and 181 countries. The next Special Olympics will be held in Athens in 2011.
Mrs. Shriver helped bring joy to millions of disabled athletes and their families. Her accomplishments, while difficult to replicate, should be admired and serve as a reminder that all individuals have an opportunity — be it at work or in their community — to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
