If you have a child with a disability — any age, any disability — you will be happy to note that Special Olympics of American Samoa, partnering with the Parents of Children with Special Needs Network (PCSN) will be hosting a Unified Sports Camp this summer, scheduled for two weeks in July, from Monday, July 17 to Friday, July 28.

It will be called “Camp Shriver” in honor of the woman who began the Special Olympics program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.  A member of the political dynasty, the sister of JFK was a leader in the worldwide struggle to improve and enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities.  She started her life's work in her own backyard— affectionally dubbed Camp Shriver — and went on to found the Special Olympics, where, in her words, the first of countless small miracles began to occur.

“Partner Athletes”— those without disabilities —will also be welcome to this summer camp, and are encouraged to attend. Volunteers are always needed and appreciated, but a parent or caregiver must attend the camp with their child.

Registration will be held on July 17 at Veteran’s Stadium.

Running from 8a.m. to 12 Noon daily, activities will include: Healthy Athletes screening; Track and Field; Football; Athlete Leadership Program; Dance Exercise and Nutrition Education at the Wellness Center; Arts, Crafts and Reading at Feleti Barstow Library; Swimming and Water Safety at Utulei Beach; and a movie at the theater.

According to Sandy Scanlan, founder of the PCSN, “We’re also looking for passionate individuals who would like to help out coaching our athletes and participants during this camp.” She told Samoa News, “The camp will be held mornings beginning at 8a.m., and will include track and field, soccer, swimming, dance and gym sports. You do not need to come everyday, though it would be great, and you do not need to be a certified coach or sports expert. You just need to be willing to have an awesome experience helping these athletes —and of course, a little patience.”

According to Scanlan, the goal for this camp is inclusion. 

“We want to introduce parents to places where they can safely take their children with special needs to enjoy a community setting. Many of our kids stay home all day when there is no school after graduation. We want parents to feel comfortable taking them out, and just as importantly, we want our community to feel comfortable interacting with our special needs children.”

“Inclusion is so important, but it begins at home. Parents must get involved and be proactive if they want the best for their kids. No more waiting… it’s time for action. This camp will provide that action and we hope everyone with a special needs child of any age will be able to attend.”

THE BACK STORY

As the mother of eight with one special needs child herself, Sandy Scanlan knew she had a challenge in front of her. Scanlan has a daughter with Angelman syndrome, and it has been one of the motivating forces of her life. She said, “I want her to get the most out of life, to have as much fun with her peers as I can. She loves being with other kids, but sometimes other kids don’t know how to react to her. Unifying the kids and promoting inclusion are giant steps toward bridging this gap.”

(Angelman syndrome is a rare neuro-genetic disorder that occurs in one in 15,000 live births. It is often misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy or autism due to lack of awareness. Characteristics of the disorder include developmental delay, lack of speech, seizures, and walking and balance disorders.)

Her daughter, Jasmine also suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and she goes to school with an AED (an automated external defibrillator).

She shared with Samoa News, “I had planned to take the summer off this year to stay with Jasmine and thought — why not do a summer camp with the Parent Network? Not long afterward, in a fortunate turn of events, Tafa Tupuola, the director of Special Olympics in the Territory, emailed Sandy saying that Special Olympics wanted to do a Unified Sports camp.

“So, we joined efforts.”

She added, “Unified Sports unites special athletes with regular athletes, allowing them to compete and train together.” 

How does that help?

“Well, when our special kids are exposed to their regularly developing peers, they learn to mimic what we might call "normal" behavior and development, and it is a great boost to their development physically, mentally and emotionally.  If a child is delayed intellectually, that does not mean they are delayed emotionally and socially as well. For example, once a child hits their teens, they crave teenage socialization, as all teens do.”

ABOUT PCSN

Scanlan, who has a doctorate in physical therapy said, “It’s also important to remember that parents of children with special needs and special health care needs often just need someone to talk to —or to ask questions. Our network, PCSN, was founded with this desire for parents to support parents in the raising of our children. It is not a financial program, we do not seek grants and we do not solicit funds. It is just parents supporting parents and creating activities for our kids to enjoy together. It’s for families of kids with disabilities — as noted before, any disability, any age.”

She also said with a smile, “I do have other degrees, but with the PCSN Network my degree is M.O.M.”

Initially Scanlan was on the Special Olympics board as a parent liaison. She was later asked to be the physical therapist for the Special Olympics athletes, and she agreed to that role. The group is still waiting for further training in this area, but it is only a matter of time before she becomes “official.”

For more information on the upcoming camp, please contact: Sandra Scanlan 731-3959 (English), Tafa Tupuola 699-7061 (Samoan) or Coach Sia: 770-8292. On FB: PCSN American Samoa.