In the early 1960s, children with special needs had limited resources and most people had a lack of understanding or interest in integrating children into society with special needs. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities were not offered activities such as a camp in the summer. That changed when one woman, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, decided to do something about it.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver decided to open up her farm in Maryland to children with disabilities so that they could experience many activities that were not offered to them. In the beginning, it was a small group of children and high school kids participated as counselors. But word spread fast and eventually, it became a large event. Kids were able to participate in swimming, soccer, horseback riding, and many of the activities they had previously missed out on. The disabled kids mixed with everyone: parents, peers, and counselors whether they were disabled or not. These kids were previously not mixed in with mainstream society and the camp showed that it worked well.
In 1968, the first Special Olympics World Games were held in Chicago. 1,000 athletes competed in the games from Canada and the United States. Eunice Kennedy Shriver proudly spoke at the event that she established. The Special Olympics was the first event of its kind to provide sports training and athletic competition for individuals with developmental disabilities. Nearly one million athletes in 130 countries now compete worldwide in 22 sports. More than 15,000 games, meets and tournaments are held annually.
When Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s husband (Sargent Shriver) served as the ambassador to France from 1968-to 1970, Eunice Shriver taught a weekly class to 140 intellectually disabled children in Paris as part of an effort to educate the French citizenry about intellectual disabilities. She has influenced leaders worldwide. President John Kennedy signed an amendment to the Social Security Act while he was in office, providing for increased funding for childhood and maternal health services as well as services for children with disabilities. Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a consultant to the President’s Panel which supported the bill.
For more information visit:
https://www.specialolympics.org/about/history/camp-shriver
https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/inspiration/relationships/family-advocates