Special Olympics New York Heads to Capitol Hill to Champion Inclusion

East Aurora High School, NYC Athlete Daniel Block Leading the Cause

Albany, NY – More than 250 Special Olympics athletes, leaders, Unified partners, and family members from across the country are in Washington, DC this week for the annual Special Olympics Capitol Hill Day. They will be sharing the impact of Special Olympics New York and urging elected officials to partner with them to support education and health initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities (ID).

“Capitol Hill Day is an opportunity for our athlete advocates to share their experiences with lawmakers, underscoring the stigma so many have faced, and how Special Olympics programming in sports, health, and education can reduce discrimination, improve lives, and promote acceptance,” said Stacey Hengsterman, President & CEO of Special Olympics New York. “We are proud to be so well-represented by Daniel, Sadie, and Cameron, and we’re thankful to each of the members we’re meeting with.”

The Special Olympics New York delegation includes the following: Stacey Hengsterman, President & CEO; Casey Vattimo, Senior Vice President of External Relations; Claire Flannery, Associate Director of Development in NYC; NYC Athlete Daniel Block; Julia Posch, Associate Director of Program in Western New York; and the following East Aurora High School Representatives: Unified Advisor Tara Arnold, SPED Teacher Clare Cavanaugh, Unified Partner Cameron Jakubec, Athlete Sadie Freier.

The New York delegation will divide into two groups—one led by NYC Athlete Daniel Block and one led by the East Aurora High School student athletes—for face-to-face meetings with members of Congress in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. They will be advocating for continued support of Unified Champion Schools® and Inclusive Health programming.

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® programming is in 375 schools in New York and more than 12,000 nationally. With over 21 million inclusive experiences taking place in schools across the U.S., this programming reduces teasing and bullying while increasing acceptance for people of all abilities.

Alongside these efforts, Special Olympics continues to address health disparities for people with ID by providing free health screenings and training healthcare professionals to deliver follow up care where and when it’s needed. Since 2016, Special Olympics has trained more than 150,000 healthcare professionals and students and completed more than 250,000 free health screenings for athletes.

Delegation members will be available for media interviews upon their return from Capitol Hill. In the meantime, follow Special Olympics New York on social media for live updates.

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