Simple Courage by Haily

Simple Courage by Haily - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

Have you ever heard of Unified Sports? Have you ever tuned into the Olympics and witnessed an event much more meaningful than your average volleyball match? Both these questions link back to one topic that we practice everyday一 inclusion. Last summer, I had the opportunity to work with Special Olympics, an organization that makes inclusion their ultimate purpose, and breaks down the barriers and stigma in our society surrounding individuals with special needs. We see them everyday; we walk the same halls as our special needs peers, and while most of the time we absently go on with our lives, we neglect their love and interest in the same things we are able to compete in, such as sports. Unified sports is a simple solution to harness this love and interest every human being should have the chance to experience, and the chance to simply walk with them.
When I went to Indianapolis for the National Student Leadership Summit last summer, part of the trip included bussing over 100 student leaders to a local high-school where we volunteered with a community-wide unified sports event. Unified Sports is a part of the Special Olympics, and is essentially simplified versions of sports that includes volunteers and those with special needs. What I soon learned that made it so unique was also a lesson for myself. You see, the key to hosting an event like this, is the volunteers must play as well. The object is not to make the participants feel inferior, but rather feel included. We played volleyball as teammates; we did kickball as teammates; we communicated, laughed, and learned as teammates. I have always been scared with special needs kids, perhaps because I did not want to accidentally upset them or feel uncomfortable, but that day I interacted with my fellow “teammates” in the sports and uncovered something more. It does not take any complex knowledge to spend meaningful time with my special needs peers. It takes the simple act of walking with them and knowing you will have to go outside your comfort zone. It takes one word一 inclusion.
When school started again in the fall, I took a bigger step out of my comfort zone by reaching out to my own peers. After all this time, it was not as hard as I had thought it was一 to say hello, to share a conversation. But as I became more observant of how others treat them, I learned it’s harder when we believe we are being judged. Highschool brings one of the biggest trials we overcome, learning to deal with judgement. As I tutor a boy from another school, I have slowly learned my school is the least of it, and that special needs students are often victimized rather than befriended. Part of breaking the stigma means breaking expectations, including being the person, possibly the outlier, who decides to choose kindness over incrimination.
The same inclusion we are taught to use with our friends is the one we must learn to use with all of our peers, from special needs to the confused freshman. Moreover, I have taken a new step in my own life. Having conversations and unique moments reach far beyond my peers, but into my own perspective as well. This is the passion that has led me to believe that anyone can break the stigma like I once felt一 the uncomfort our society creates around disabilities. This passion has led me to hosting a Unified Sports event at my own school. This passion will hopefully go far beyond Unified Sports, my small community, and eventually make inclusion a part of human nature.