Sports have always been known to bring people together, connecting communities and transcending languages alike. An estimated 3.75 billion people from across the globe tuned in to the 2018 World Cup Final in Moscow, a number surely eclipsed by the recent nail-biting final between Argentina and France earlier this month.
But as the world rejoices in the highs and lows of international sport, an unseen community in our midst has been working tirelessly around the clock to prepare for a “World Cup” of their own — the Special Olympics World Games 2023.
The International Affairs Society (IAS) Gazette speaks to Dipak Natali, Regional President and Managing Director of the Special Olympics Asia Pacific, as he strives to shed some light on the quiet struggles of People with Intellectual Disabilities (PWID) across the region.
The Growth of the Movement
Individuals struggling with intellectual disabilities are generally harder to spot with their non-physical markers, and often do not enjoy equal opportunities to work, learn, receive access to healthcare or even opportunities in sport. Patients with Down Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Williams Syndrome and individuals with documented IQ levels on the lower end of the spectrum are considered intellectually disabled by Singaporean ministries and healthcare institutions.
A lesser known counterpart to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Special Olympics began as a summer camp held by American philanthropist Eunice Kennedy Shriver in her own backyard to give children with intellectual disabilities a safe space to play to provide them the opportunity to engage in sports.
Ever since the first summer camp in 1986, it has since grown into an international non-governmental organisation helping over 5.5 million PWID athletes in 193 countries. Dipak Natali leads the Asia Pacific (APAC) arm of the Special Olympics, having previously worked with the Europe-Eurasia branches since 2006. He brings decades worth of expertise with Scope, the United Kingdom’s largest disability charity, and the personal youth charity of King Charles III, the Prince’s Trust. Inspired by his mother’s own fundraising efforts for the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s, Natali has since devoted his life to community-focused consultancy and charity work.
Working out of Singapore, Natali oversees health screenings, leadership programmes and fundraising to help over 2.1 million PWID athletes across 25 APAC countries. On top of overseeing competitions and programmes for their communities, he also focuses on lobbying efforts with government agencies and multinational companies to invoke tangible, positive change for the community.
Natali speaks proudly of the efforts by the Special Olympics Bharat in India, where the team successfully coordinated a National Health Screening in collaboration with the government of India across 139 locations in 75 Indian cities. The successful campaign provided medical aid for over 90,000 Indian athletes with intellectual disabilities, exceeding their initial target of 70,000 screenings.
Not only did it provide extensive medical support for the Indian PWID community, it also marked a monumental win as the nation-wide screening expanded volunteer networks, increased PWID awareness, and provided healthcare practitioners real life learning lessons on best practices with the disabled patients themselves.
Moments like these fuel Dipak’s passion in giving the marginalised children a voice and an opportunity to reach their fullest potential. “Charitable organisations are primarily driven by passion and commitment,” shares Natali, drawing on his extensive 20-year background in charity work.
“Being able to support that passion, channelling it effectively to support sustainability and long term impact is something I think all organisations need to be able to do.”
Silent Struggles in a Globalised Era
However, passion alone does not seem to be enough. More than just motivation and tenacity is needed to help the hidden community.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic hit the PWID community especially hard as they withdrew into isolation with little to no support from the traditional healthcare infrastructure. Reports from the Special Olympics found that 56 per cent of school-aged intellectually disabled athletes did not have access to remote learning or school education during the pandemic.
In fact, that only exacerbated the existing struggles and disadvantages faced by the PWID community due to their lack of visibility. Natali acknowledges these struggles with a sense of sadness, highlighting that even as the global society ushers in an era of inclusion, the Special Olympics faces an uphill battle for awareness and support. A recent survey by the NGO showed that 60 percent of APAC respondents are aware of intellectual disabilities, while less than one in three respondents actually interacted with a PWID.
Given the natural disposition of their intellectual disabilities, many PWID wards are unable to personally acknowledge that they need help, or find ways to ask for it. The social distancing and closure of all non-essential services tore apart the network of support that the Special Olympics had painstakingly built to help their community.
“The resulting isolation, alienation, and social distancing restrictions drastically reduced athlete numbers, coaching infrastructure, volunteers, and funding, with each reflecting a decrease of over 80 per cent between 2021 and 2019 across the [APAC] region,” shares Natali.
Rebuilding the volunteer and coaching networks was exceptionally hard for Natali and his team, having to start from scratch post-pandemic. While the team had long been digitising their processes, they had to do so even more urgently; to capitalise on digital solutions and a future-proof infrastructure for their wards moving forward.
Digital Solutions for an Inclusive World
Digitisation was the name of the game when it came to pandemic health measures, and this was no exception for the Intellectually Disabled community. Governments around the world turned to online advisories and mobile phone apps for their pandemic response plans, and it exemplified how the internet provides solutions to provide communities across borders with remote assistance if needed.
The Special Olympics tapped on these digital solutions with Easy-to-Read digital swipe cards that broke down health advisories into simple nuggets of information for their athletes; and online e-learning courses for healthcare professionals to learn the best practices for PWID healthcare.
“Technology has made it easier for PWIDs in the sense that there are now more resources available not just for them, but for the community at large,” points out Natali. The internet provides an excellent opportunity for healthcare institutions and global organisations to amplify their efforts in helping people with intellectual disabilities.
Natali shares two platforms that he personally enjoys, which he feels are perfect for raising awareness and educating the public about the PWID around Asia.
Youth for Inclusion is an online portal created by the Special Olympics for both PWID and non-PWID youths to advocate for greater inclusion efforts. Youths with intellectual disabilities are also given a voice on Human Race Asia, where they can share their personal stories and the community can learn about the unique challenges they face in their daily lives.
Both platforms have amplified stories usually hidden within the community, but Natali hopes that it would be a launchpad for people to have authentic conversations with intellectually disabled youths to have a deeper understanding on how to overcome our blindspots. By understanding their point of view in life, the organisation hopes more will come forth to volunteer with the Special Olympics, or at the very least learn to hold space for the less fortunate intellectually disabled peers in their society.
Sports: the Bridge to Inclusion
The pandemic years might have been rocky for the charity, but there are some rays of light and hope. In Bangkok, Thailand, the Special Olympics held their triumphant return to live sporting competition for their athletes with the Southeast Asia Unified Football Tournament last month.
| Photo Credit: Special Olympics Asia Pacific
A little bit of a sports fan himself, Natali has found that after almost 18 years of charity work, competitions are unmatched in how powerful they can be at inspiring both the athletes and the audience with joy, connection, and the spirit of sportsmanship. Any game of sport can bring together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, and change mindsets to progress the vision of inclusion across any region.
Fueled by the fire of live engagements and campaigns for the cause, Natali is quick to point out that the Special Olympics cannot just rebuild as it was. The need for a more resilient, pandemic-proof charity structure is crucial for any cause, and it begins with diversifying away from organisational lobbying to focusing on building bridges with those that truly need it — the PWID athletes, their families, friends, and caretakers.
Connecting with the core support system of individuals with intellectual disabilities allows caretakers to intervene with best care practices from early critical stages in the life of intellectually disabled children. The right care, knowledge and support can do wonders in helping these disabled children reach their full potential.
Athletes under the care of Natali’s various teams across the region are hard at work as they prepare for the 2023 Berlin Special Olympics World Summer Games. The shining beacon of the charity, the World Games were last held at Abu Dhabi where almost 7000 intellectually disabled athletes competed together in 24 sports.
The 2019 Abu Dhabi Special Olympics World Summer Games was the biggest humanitarian event ever recorded, bringing together almost 200 national programmes and 20,000 registered volunteers. Natali aims to recreate that miraculous experience of a lifetime for athletes fielded across the 25 countries under his care, but funding and logistical support has not been the same post-pandemic.
The road to Berlin continues to be an arduous one as Natali’s teams continue to find support for their athletes in the APAC region. Efforts to raise awareness for the cause actively call for practical support as well, be it coaches, donations for the program’s funding, or even just volunteers for the logistics of the event.
Natali hopes that by getting support for athletes from across all regions, the Games act as a conduit for more progress to flow through. By bringing people together through a love of sport, he hopes the general populace will participate more in the meaningful endeavour of uplifting people with intellectual disabilities across the globe.
“Getting involved is highly critical because real, impactful change can only happen through engagement, collaboration, and concerted efforts. I look forward to everyone’s support in bringing our dream of an inclusive society to life.”
The illuminating talk with Natali shed a light on how the interconnected digitalised world has left behind those among us that are unable to keep up. Most people are probably aware that people with intellectual disabilities exist in our communities, but few of us truly understand the heartbreaking extent of their vulnerability in our modern society considering their disabilities disposes them to struggle alone.
The Special Olympics chips away tirelessly at the monumental task of helping those who struggle in silence, those who need our help the most, and perhaps through our common love of sport we can encourage more to extend their helping hand.
