Special Olympics

Special Olympics Texas Mission
The mission of Special Olympics Texas is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Athlete Eligibility Requirements

A Special Olympics Athlete Must:

Must be at least 8 years old and enrolled as a student in the Del Valle Independent School District.
Is identified as intellectually disabled (MR) and/or has a closely related developmental disability such as those who have functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills. Participation in a regular sports program is often difficult or impossible due to the limitations of the student’s disability. Our diverse program has many very high functioning athletes as well as many very challenged athletes.
Possesses a level of self-help skills that allows the athlete to perform the necessary skills in competition with little or no assistance from volunteers.
Is medically stable so as not to be endangered in any way by various external conditions (noisy environments, large group settings, hot/cold weather conditions, long periods of “wait time” during training and competition).
Is able to work successfully with volunteers during training and competition, displaying behaviors appropriate for extracurricular activity (can follow directions, not physically aggressive toward peers or volunteers, understands redirection, and can independently perform the necessary tasks in the training and competition).

Family Eligibility Requirements

Parents/Guardians of Special Olympics Athletes Must:

Must complete a medical form for athlete’s participation for Special Olympics Texas. A medical doctor must complete a portion of this form. Medicals must be updated every three years.
Must be responsible for transporting the athlete to and from practices at sites located in DVISD. Practices usually occur once a week, with occasional weekend commitments, depending on the sport. Carpooling with other families is strongly encouraged.

Volunteer Eligibility Requirements

What can volunteers do?
DVISD Special Olympics offers volunteer opportunities in a variety of sports and events. There are opportunities to volunteer weekly with coaches and athletes with different sports, or you can choose to volunteer for a single event on a designated day.

Requirements:
All volunteers must complete a Del Valle ISD Volunteer Form.
Volunteers are required to be at least 15 years of age, or if younger, require an adult chaperon at events.

For more information contact:
Angela Payne
angela.payne@dvisd.net
512-386-3385

For more about Special Olympics Texas please visit their website: www.sotx.org