hello
my name is matthew williams and i am a
champion
i have won medals in three different
sports and national games in canada
competed at the international level in
basketball
and was proud to represent canada
on the world stage
i train five days a week for basketball
and speed skating
work with top quality coaches and mental
performance consultants
to be at my best in my sport
by the way all that is through special
olympics
does that change the way you think of me
and my accomplishments
the world does not see all people like
me as champions
not long ago people like me were shunned
and hidden away there has been lots of
change
since special olympics began in 1968
but in too many cases people with
intellectual disabilities
are invisible to the wider population
people use the r word in front of me and
they think it doesn't matter
that's the word or
used in a derogatory manner
they're not thinking about how much it
hurts me
and my friends
i don't want you to think i'm here
because i'm a charity case
i am here because there's still a big
problem with the way
many people see individuals with
intellectual disabilities or too
often how they don't see them at all
did you know the world games happened
this year
i was one of over 6 500 athletes
with intellectual disabilities from 165
countries who competed
in la there was over 62
000 spectators watching opening
ceremonies
and there was live coverage on tsn
and espn did you even know that happened
what do you think of when you see
someone like me
i am here today to challenge you to look
at us
as equals
special olympics transforms the
self-identity
of athletes with intellectual
disabilities
and the perceptions of everyone watching
for those of you who aren't familiar
special olympics
is for athletes with intellectual
disabilities
special olympics is separate from the
paralympics
and olympics we offer high quality
year-round sports programs for people
with intellectual
disabilities that changes lives and
perceptions
this movement has changed my life and
those of
so many others and it has changed the
way
the world sees people with intellectual
disabilities
i was born with epilepsy and an
intellectual disability
growing up i played hockey until i was
12 years old
the older i got the more i felt it was
harder to keep up with everyone else
and i was angry and frustrated
for a while i did not play any sports
didn't have many friends and felt left
out
and sad
there was a time when people with
intellectual disabilities
were hidden away from society
no one thought they could participate in
sports
let alone be a valued member of society
in the 1960s dr frank hayden
a scientist at the university of toronto
was studying the effects of regular
exercise
on the fitness levels of children with
intellectual
disabilities using rigorous
scientific research dr hayden
and other researchers came to the
conclusion
that it was simply the lack of
opportunity to participate
that caused their fitness levels to
suffer
lots of people doubted that people with
intellectual disabilities
could benefit from fitness programs and
sports competition opportunities
but pioneers like dr hayden and eunice
kenny shriver
the founder of special olympics
persevered
and special olympic athletes have proved
them right
four and a half million times over
before i joined special olympics i was
nervous
because i was young shy not
confident and didn't have many friends
when i got there though everyone was
very encouraging
supportive and let me be myself
without being judged
now i am a basketball player and speed
skater
who has competed at provincial national
games
and this year made it all the way to the
world summer games in la
where i was part of the first ever
canadian basketball team
to compete at world games
i am one of more than four and a half
million athletes around
the globe and have heard so many similar
stories
being special olympics athletes
restores our pride and dignity
special olympics also addresses critical
health needs
studies have shown that on average
men with intellectual disabilities die
13 years younger
than men without and women with
intellectual disabilities
die 20 years younger than women without
special olympics keeps us healthy by
getting us
active and participating in sport
also our coaches teach us about
nutrition
and health special olympics also
provides free health screening
for athletes who have difficulty
communicating with their doctor
or accessing health care
at the 2015 world summer games my team
canada teammates and i
played the nigerian basketball team
the day before our game the nigerian
basketball team
went to the world games healthy athlete
screening
where seven of ten members were giving
hearing aids for free
and got to hear clearly for the first
time
the change in them was amazing they were
more excited
happy and confident because their coach
could vocally communicate with them
and they were emotional because they
could hear the sounds of the basketball
the sounds of the whistle and the
cheering fans in the stands
sounds that we take for granted
special olympics is transferring more
than just the athlete in their sport
special olympics
is transforming their lives off the
field
this year research findings showed that
nearly half of the adults in the us
don't know a single person with an
intellectual disability
and the 44 percent of americans who
don't have personal contact
with intellectual disabilities are
significantly
less accepting and positive
then there's the r word proving that
people with intellectual disabilities
are still invisible to far too many
people
people use it as a casual term or an
insult
it was tweeted more than nine million
times last year
and it is deeply hurtful to me and my
four and a half million fellow athletes
around the planet people don't think
it's insulting
but it is as my fellow athlete
and global messenger john franklin
stevens wrote
in an open letter to a political pundit
who used the r word as an insult
come join us someday at special olympics
see if you walk away with your heart
unchanged
this year at the 2015 world summer games
people lined up for hours to get into
the final night of powerlifting
competition
so with standing room only when my
teammate
jackie barrett the newfoundland moose
deadlifted 650 pounds
and lifted 611 pounds in the squat
setting huge new records for special
olympics
jackie is a record holder among all
power lifters in newfoundland
not just special olympics all power
lifters
jackie was a a huge star in la
and espn live tweeted his
record-breaking lifts
and were wowed by his performance
50 years ago few imagined individuals
with intellectual disabilities could do
anything like that
this year 60 000 spectators
filled the famous la memorial coliseum
to watch the opening ceremonies of world
games
and cheer athletes from 165 countries
around the world far from being hidden
away
we were cheered and celebrated
special olympics teaches athletes to be
confident
and proud of themselves special olympics
teaches the world
that people with intellectual
disabilities deserve respect
and inclusion
now i have dreams and achievements in my
sport
great coaches respect and dignity
better health and i am pursuing a career
as a personal trainer
i'm no longer hidden bullied and i am
here
doing a ted talk
oh
the world is a different place because
of special olympics
but there is still farther to go so the
next time you see someone with an
intellectual disability
i hope you will see their ability the
next time
someone uses the r word near you i hope
you will tell them
how much it hurts i hope you will think
about getting involved with special
olympics
i would like to leave you with one final
thought
nelson mandela said sports has the power
to change the world
special olympics is changing the world
by transforming
four and a half million athletes and
giving us a place to be
confident meet friends not be judged
and get to feel like and be champions
thank you very much
you