Ask A Special Olympics Athlete

- Special Olympics USA Games and Microsoft teamed up with KUOW to host Ask A Special Olympics Athlete, a person-to-person conversation bringing together members of the Puget Sound community with Special Olympics athletes. (people murmuring) - [Ben] You're Devon? - Yes. - I'm Ben. - Nice to meet you. - So what do you think people should know about the Special Olympics? - Put it this way, just 'cause we have a disability doesn't mean we can't compete like everyone else. - Come to a competition and watch. See for yourself what people can do. - And I get excited when they cheer me on. - It's changed my life for the better, and I am so thankful that I'm a part of it. - [Woman] What was your life like before? - It's always been a little uncertain, trying to navigate the waters of life, and so now with it I have much more confidence, and I've been able to branch out and just really be able to show what I offer, not just from sports but from life. - My coach gave my mom a phone call that by the way, Rebekah was chosen for nationals. - Yeah! - Like yeah! Yes! I like it when people actually take time to listen to me, you know? - What do you want people to learn from having USA Games in Seattle? - Acceptance and also that Special Olympics is for all sorts of people with all sorts of disabilities, and all sorts of abilities too. It's not just one thing. - I feel like I'm part of a team, and that they see me for who I am and not my disability. Growing up, I felt like an outsider, and that no one wanted to sit by me 'cause I have Down syndrome. But I kept all those negative vibes and put it into this big motivation for myself, so I can keep moving forward and to change their view of what I was. And then all of a sudden, Special Olympics came in, and that gave me a real boost of confidence within myself, and it became a family of friends, which I needed, and that truly just changed my whole entire life. - Look at us and what we can do, not by what we can't do. Don't just jump to assumptions or conclusions just because somebody has autism or Down syndrome or whatever. - [Photographer] Awesome, thank you all. (crew claps) - [Rebekah] Look at what they can do if you give 'em a chance. - [Narrator] Come and cheer on the athletes July first through the sixth as they compete in the Special Olympics USA Games. To find out more, go to www.specialolympicsusagames.org.