As 2009 draws to a close, it will inspire not only end-of-year reflections but end-of-decade ones. Many About.com guides will be listing the top stories of the past ten years; I'd like to join in, and I need your help. What do you think were the top news stories, medical advances, controversies, books and entertainment, and landmark events in the area of disability awareness and children with special needs? Share your thoughts in the comments and help me put together a retrospective that reflects our experience. (And while you're at it, what stands out for you newswise about the year just passed? You gotta feel sorry for these years at the end of decades; they get kind of overlooked, don't they?)
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The death of Patrick Swayze.
Hi Terri,
I’d like to nominate the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China as a landmark event of the decade for people with intellectual disabilities.
More than 7,200 athletes from over 160 countries competed from Oct 2-11 in Shanghai and the surrounding provinces, celebrating the human spirit and changing attitudes and raising awareness to the abilities of people with special needs in a society that has traditionally neglected and ignored this population.
The Games were an overwhelming success with tremendous government support in China, including provincial “Sunshine School” visits by President Hu Jintao to highlight the efforts China is making toward including and valuing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. President Hu Jintao also attended the entire Opening Ceremony in Shanghai Stadium, a spectacular four hour entertainment extravaganza with over 80,000 people in attendance.
The 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games left a continuing legacy in China as people with intellectual disabilities continue to have doors opened to them for inclusive education, health care and an increasing quality of life overall. Special Olympics China is the largest Special Olympics program in the world.
Please check out a short highlight video from the Opening Ceremony.
You can also read about all the amazing work Special Olympics is doing in China.
See a slideshow about Special Olympics in China.
Watch a video on Special Olympics athlete Jia Qi Hui who was once a destructive and easily distracted child, but is now focused and thriving after discovering a passion for table tennis.
Many thanks,
Ryan
2000 Paralympics in Sydney. This is a top event and had lots of controversies. The wheelchair rugby, running and boccia caught my eye.
2004 Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies in Athens.
The Special Olympics for me was probably 2003 in Ireland.
Deaflympics: 2005.
2008: the release of Tropic Thunder. This got the ball rolling.
1989 and 1999 were pretty important years.
We get a deluge of stories.
2004-05: the neurodiversity movement comes of age after years of quiet work.
2000 (April 18): Candace Newmaker dies.
2004: the release of The United States of Leland.
2009: Ivan Cameron dies. He is the son of the Conservative (UK) Party leader, David Cameron. He had cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
2001-02: No Child Left Behind.
2002: Clay Aitken and American Idol.
His charity gets into the spotlight, helping many children.
2008: Heather Kuznich on America’s Next Top Model.