The concept of Special Olympics is wonderful. It warms your heart to see children in an arena where they can excel. The Olympians come away with a new sense of pride in them. It allows the world to see them, as a person first in a situation where no one is a loser and everyone comes away a winner.
When Thomas was 11 years old his teacher took myself and ten other children with disabilities from his class at school to the Oklahoma State Special Olympics games. They stayed on the Oklahoma State University Campus for three days and two nights.
This sounds like a wonderful adventure, except for the autism and intellectual disabilites. Since the autism made it difficult for Thomas to process or tune out sounds just saying the “A” word, and the thought of someone going into a crowded, noisy, congested place either makes you grimace or laugh.
Thomas’s older sister went with me to the opening ceremonies that were held in the OSU football stadium. We sat in the stands watching our worst nightmare start to unfold. As all the athletes crowded onto the field, the loud voices and the music became deafening and the tension for Thomas was becoming critical. The only means of communication open to Thomas was to cry and scream in hopes he could escape back to the silence of the bus. He did settle down only to wake the next morning to rain and cold. When Thomas realized it was raining and his head might get wet, I saw trouble brewing. He started rocking back and forth, slapping himself, and hyperventilating. In his mind the tactile stimulation of the rain falling on his head resembled the sensation of having ice water poured down you back. I quickly gave him my hooded sweatshirt, which on a 3’5”, forty-pound boy looked likes a nightgown. This appeased him for the time being until we arrived at the event field.
The rain had caused a long delay in getting started and Thomas was becoming more uncooperative as each minute passed. He was registered I the softball throw. By the time it was his turn Thomas was so angry he threw the ball a “mile” and won a bronze medal. On the awards platform, the lights went on. For the first time in his life, Thomas realized that he had done well. He smiled briefly looking at me as if to say “See Mom!! Look what I got.”
That night the group returned to the football stadium for a rock and roll dance, which I declined to attend. They told me Thomas laid down on the turf with the group making a circle around him as he tried to block out the whole scene. This was quite an improvement over the night before. They made it through the rest of the trip in one piece. Thomas has returned for many years since to Special Olympics. He has not won medals every year, but achieved something much greater—coping with the noise. This has been a major milestone. Thomas looked forward to going his last year when he was senior, where he won a gold medal and even danced with someone.
A professional baseball player Thomas won’t be, but he has gained something more; a sense of accomplishment. He has realized he can do things and be proud. So with a little faith and hope people, even with a disability, can succeed and stand tall.
The Journey with Thomas 