‘ 5 for 50’
Five athletes celebrating 50 years of empowerment — and a bonus
It’s a herculean task: Pick five athletes who embody the values of Special Olympics, which turn 50 years old on July 20.
Those 50 years span six decades, though. So let’s add a bonus athlete — and reflect on the millions of athletes, coaches and volunteers that all six of these Special Olympics athletes have influenced.
1960s: Marty Sheets, North Carolina
The tale of Marty Sheets began in 1953 — a time when people with intellectual disabilities were regularly institutionalized. Families were told their intellectually disabled children would lead helpless, useless lives.
That’s not how Sheets’ story unfolded.
Born prematurely, Sheets spent his first few weeks in an incubator and was diagnosed with Down syndrome when he was a toddler. His parents were dumbfounded and didn’t know much about the genetic disorder but continuously encouraged social skills and sup- ported their son to try new things.
Growing up, Sheets gravitated toward sports.
He loved playing in his backyard, swimming and waterskiing. He wrestled in junior high and during his high school years joined a distributive education program
that blossomed into a nearly 40- year career at a neighborhood department store.
When Sheets was 15, the Kennedy Foundation provided the Parks and Recreation Department in his community with funds to develop recreational activities for children with intellectual disabilities, in turn propelling Sheets’ passion for sports.
From there, Sheets developed into a skilled swimmer and in 1968 was selected along with four other athletes to represent North Carolina and the United States in the first International Special Olympics Summer Games at Soldier Field in Chicago. Although an illness prevented Sheets from competing at the 1968 event, he was personally awarded a gold medal by Eunice Kennedy Shriver at the post- event banquet.
Over the years, Sheets progressed into a respected, decorated Special Olympics athlete, winning 250 medals — including seven at World Games. He competed in golf, powerlifting, swimming, tennis and skiing.
In 1977, Special Olympics held its first International Winter Games in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where Sheets competed in skiing and won a pair of bronze medals. While in Colorado, Sheets skied with the legendary Billy Kidd and in 1987 joined singer John Denver in leading the USA delegation into Notre Dame Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of that year’s World Summer Games.
He won two bronze medals in powerlifting at the 1991 World Games in Minneapolis, met boxer Evander Holyfield and was featured on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.” Sheets and his parents were also invited to join President Bill Clinton and future presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the Opening Ceremony of the 1995 World Summer Games.
Sheets became a regular speaker at events before and during the 1999 Special Olympics World Games in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he spoke alongside basketball legend Grant Hill during the Opening Ceremony. He won a bronze medal in the bench- press competition that year.
Through the years, golf remained Sheets’ favorite sport.
During Special Olympics North Carolina golf competitions, he took home gold several times along with picking up an additional gold medal at the 2007 Special Olympics National Invitational Tournament at Port St. Lucie in Florida.
As a member of Special Olympics North America Golf Committee, Sheets traveled throughout the U. S. to attend events, recruit volunteers and share Special Olympics’ mission.
Sheets’ dedicated service to the Special Olympics community ignited hope that continues to resonate among all athletes today. Selected by the International Olympic Committee as one of its “community heroes,” Sheets was an official torch- bearer when the Olympic torch went through Greensboro prior to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Sheets died in May 2015, but his courageous spirit and countless achievements are still remembered today.
1970s: Ricardo Thornton, Washington, D. C.
Abandoned as a child, Ricardo Thornton spent the beginning of his life at Forest Haven, Washington’s institution for people with intellectual disabilities.
Thornton essentially grew up isolated from the world during a time when the idea of a normal, independent life for someone living with an intellectual disability seemed impossible.
Still, Thornton remained determined to rise above the extremely poor living conditions, reports of abuse and staff incompetence stemming from the institution that he called home for so many years.
His determination was met with an opportunity as a teen to participate in Special Olympics.
For the first time, Thornton realized he could be successful — and so did the people around him. His skills began to develop, and word of his progress circled back to his family, who began to visit him after a lengthy absence from his life.
Thornton competed in Special Olympics in tennis, bowling, basketball, volleyball, bocce, and track- and- field. His confidence soared along with his dreams.
Eventually Thornton moved out of Forest Haven — and did something almost completely unexpected by his family and the people who knew him best: He married his sweetheart, Donna, who had also grown up in the institution and also suffered from personal abuse and neglect.
During the 1970s, people with disabilities were wards of the government — and not permitted to marry. However, Thornton and his wife prevailed by breaking ground for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities.
When Forest Haven was closed by a court order, Thornton and his wife faced new challenges. They learned how to care for themselves outside the walls of the institution by reading, cooking and learning how to taking the bus.
Thornton became increasingly independent and earned a career working at the main branch of the D. C. Public Library. His inspirational story was featured on the CBS show “60 Minutes” and later made into a TV movie (“Profoundly Normal,” starring actors Delroy Lindo and Kirstie Alley). He has become a worldwide role model, especially in his hometown, where he’s been named “Washingtonian of the Year.”
Thornton is a leader in Project ACTION and has testified numerous times before the Senate and other hearings on behalf of people with disabilities. He has represented Special Olympics in media appearances and speaking engagements around the U. S., Europe and Africa.
Most recently, Thornton received an appointment to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The panel was established in 1966 but traces its beginnings to legislation advocated by President John F. Kennedy and advisory committee member Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Thornton, 59, and Donna are both still very much involved in
SHEETS’ DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS COMMUNITY IGNITED HOPE THAT CONTINUES TO RESONATE AMONG ALL ATHLETES TODAY. THORNTON HAS TESTIFIED NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE THE SENATE AND OTHER HEARINGS ON BEHALF OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
Special Olympics’ movement and have a 31- year- old son, Ricky.
1980s: Robert Martin, New Zealand
Robert Martin was born in 1957 in Whanganui, New Zealand, with a brain injury after his mother had suffered an injury during his birth. As a result, he was sent as a baby to live at the Kimberley Mental Deficiency Colony in rural New Zealand, where he was raised amid violence, abuse and neglect.
Martin left the institution in 1972 to live with his parents.
However, the violence and unhappiness he experienced as a child followed him home and inadvertently propelled his advocacy career. He left his parents’ home to live and work in the assistance of a care organization devoted to helping people with intellectual disabilities like himself.
It was at IHC New Zeland where Martin’s motivation was kickstarted. He turned to books to learn how to assist people with learning disabilities, resulting in the organizing of protests fighting for the rights of the disabled.
Martin’s advocacy work began his initial interest and aided his success with Special Olympics.
He first joined Special Olympics in 1984 and the following year competed in bocce ball tournaments at the first National New Zealand Summer Games in Hutt Valley. He later became a member of the club’s athletics and football programs, developing new skills and gaining greater confidence as he matured into a multisport athlete.
MARTIN TURNED TO BOOKS TO LEARN HOW TO ASSIST PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES.
He then took on the role as an assistant coach and captain of Special Olympics Wanganui’s football team in addition to captaining the New Zealand team at the 1991 World Summer Games in Minneapolis.
Although Martin has a litany of accomplishments, his first formal appearance at the United Nations is among his most memorable: In 2003, he stood alone before a crowded U. N. Assembly and began: “My name is Robert Martin, and I have an intellectual disability.” More than a decade later, he was elected to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He recently had a biography published called “Becoming a Person,” and was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for service to people with disabilities.
Today, Martin, 62, is working to change the world for people with intellectual disabilities.
1990s: Florence Nabayinda, Uganda
Florence Nabayinda’s mother ran away in 1978 when her daughter was diagnosed with intellectual disabilities.
Her father treated her harshly, and she was left alone to grow up in the violence that plagued her hometown Ugandan village.
Nabayinda slept outside on the ground, where night after night she fought off insect- born disease, flu and abuse from relatives who did not understand or accept her disability. She was unable to seek assistance from others in her village, where school officials deemed her “useless” and “unteachable.”
She lacked self- confidence, was very shy and had nowhere or no one to turn to.
Another family who felt sorry for Nabayinda adopted her when she was a teenager. The family resumed her education in classrooms with children half her age. It was during this transformative time someone in the village suggested she participate in Special Olympics. It marked a chance for change. Nabayinda began to excel both in sports and day- to- day life. For the first time, she was able to do something she greatly envied other children for: run.
This sparked her training as a long- distance runner.
Throughout her teens, she raced more often, grew physically and mentally stronger and received compliments. People in the village began smiling at Nabayinda and congratulating her on her progress — an amazing new expe- rience after a lifetime of scolding, mockery and abuse by her peers.
“Because of Special Olympics, I am somebody,” says Nabayinda, looking back on it all.
“THROUGH RUNNING AND SPECIAL OLYMPICS, I FOUND MY VOICE.” FLORENCE NABAYINDA
Nabayinda competed in Special Olympics Tanzania 10K in 1997 and the half- marathon at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in North Carolina in 1999. She won gold at both races.
“Growing up, I felt I could do nothing in life — [ I was] thrown away like trash, ridiculed as ‘ stupid,’ and forced to quit school,” Nabayinda explains. “But when I ran a race, I was somebody, and through running and Special Olympics, I found my voice.”
She has now been involved with Special Olympics for decades and worked at Special Olympics’ Uganda headquarters. As a lead ambassador, she garners support for the ongoing expansion of rights and opportunities for people living with intellectual disabilities from the government in Uganda.
Nabayinda, 40, has been using that voice ever since — not only as a representative for Uganda at Special Olympics World Games, but also as a Global Messenger and a Special Olympics International Board Director for the Special Olympics movement.
Her ultimate dream is to one day serve in Uganda’s parliament.
2000s: Dina Galal, Egypt
For decades, Dina Galal has been shattering stereotypes as a successful woman with intellectual disabilities who remains a role model in the Middle East and beyond. Born with Down syndrome in 1970, Galal grew up in Egypt when the understanding and awareness of individuals with intellectual disabilities was essentially nonexistent.
Galal was fortunate to have unwavering support stemming from family members who refused to give up and instead focused on her potential. With the help of her parents, Galal developed her passion for the arts, music and sports.
She joined Special Olympics in 1993 and excelled in the shot put, proving to many that she was indeed capable of great success.
“In the past, people with disabilities were considered useless and were unnoticed, and many people treated them with sympathy and pity,” recalls Galal. “But we can prove that we are ‘ able,’ and our accomplishments go beyond peoples’ expectations.”
Galal adds, “Special Olympics changed my whole life and helped me show that people with intellectual disabilities are capable of doing great achievements and deserve just as much respect as anyone else. Just believe in yourself and do not allow a disability to define you as a person.”
She competed in Special Needs Olympics from 1995 until 2000 and two years later was selected to be the Global Messenger of Special Olympics through 2007. In 2004, Galal was appointed as the manager’s assistant in Special Olympics MENA’s Regional Office.
Galal trained as an athlete leader and later as a Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger, giving speeches and representing people with intellectual disabilities around the world. She was then named a manager’s assistant at Special Olympics Regional office in Cairo.
These days Galal, 48, is also working in the executive office at Egypt’s presidential palace — the first person with an intellectual disability to hold such a position.
Galal knows her accomplishments have helped change attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities. But she is also aware there’s still a long way to go. “If we stop dreaming, we die,” she says. “That’s why we shouldn’t stop dreaming. My dream is to have a welcoming community and for people with intellectual disabilities to be given equal access to education, health, sports and jobs. Together, we can make this dream a reality.”
2010s: Nitzeida Galvez, Panama
Nitzeida Galvez was just 11 years old when her mother died and her grandmother took her in. Meanwhile, some of her siblings lived in the streets of Panama City.
During those difficult times, Galvez spotted something that gave her a glimmer of hope. One day as a child while watching TV, she saw a brief story about Special Olympics athletes. Within minutes of seeing the athletes, Galvez knew she wanted to join them.
Her grandmother continuously reiterated that there was no money for such things, but the young Galvez remained determined. She made her way to where the athletes were training — without telling her grandmother — and quickly discovered that Special Olympics was free.
She has been with Special Olympics ever since.
Galvez began her athletic career competing in shot put and track and later competing in tennis and bowling.
She says Special Olympics “totally” changed her life — showing her a clear path to success. It also gave her grandmother a support network while learning to raise a child with special needs.
Galvez’s life became full of possibilities where it was once empty. Through Special Olympics she created lifelong friendships with other athletes, coaches and volunteers.
Those bonds have helped motivate Galvez to face her biggest challenges; training and running in preparation for competition. Lately, she’s been practicing on improving her bowling performance. Her best score has been 450 in a unified sports competition.
Galvez now lives with her sister since her grandmother’s passing a few years ago.
She has continued along her path to independence, which was kickstarted by attending cooking school several years ago. Learning to cook has led to a successful career as a member of the cooking staff for Panama’s president. She prepares some of his favorite meals like seafood, ham and cheese sandwiches and fried plantains.
Galvez says it’s hard work “because there are so many people around, watching what you are doing. So you have to be really careful.” But she loves it, and the work has granted her with the opportunity to visit different parts of the country as she accompanies the president, first lady and ministers in council meetings.
One of Galvez’s goals is to continue to raise awareness about the importance of education and work for people with intellectual disabilities. This goal fuels her ongoing dedication to learning how to better speak to large groups. She is one of 12 Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers.
“It’s easy to talk about Special Olympics,” she says. “Special Olympics gives you a chance to develop your skills, be healthy and change your life. Without Special Olympics, I don’t know where I would be.”
“IF WE STOP DREAMING, WE DIE.” DINA GALAL “SPECIAL OLYMPICS GIVES YOU A CHANCE TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS, BE HEALTHY AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE.” NITZEIDA GALVEZ