Matthew Williams is a Special Olympics athlete with epilepsy and an intellectual disability who has won several medals in three different sports. In this speech, he relates his long journey fighting to increase the visibility, equality and respect for people with intellectual disabilities.
Matthew explains that during his challenging childhood he felt frustrated, sad and angry because he was constantly left out by others. He didn’t have many friends, and he avoided sports. In that time, society thought people with intellectual disability were not able to participate in sports.
In the 1960’s, Frank Hayden was studying the positive effects of regular exercise on children with ID. A few years later, Hayden and other pioneers created the Special Olympics, which demonstrated his theory.
Matthew Williams joined Special Olympics in the eighth grade. Before this opportunity he was young, shy and so unconfident. However, this experience changed his life. He developed confidence, emotional intelligence and knowledge about nutrition and health.
When Matthew was 23 years old, he become a member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors and share his perspective to leaders of this movement. Special Olympics transforms the self-identity of athletes with intellectual disabilities and the perception of everyone who is watching.
Matthew started his speech saying “My name is Matthew Williams, and I am a champion”, and he ended it with these inspirational words: “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 (referring to retarded) near you, I hope you will tell them how much it hurts”.
In my opinion, people should listen to Matthew’s voice to change their perception of ID.
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