Lo6-Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
Lo7-recognize and consider the ethical implications of choices and actions.
Intellectual disabilities are common not only around our community but also globally. Approximately 1–3 percent of the global population has an intellectual disability—as many as 200 million people. To be able to collaborate well with our friends from Special Olympics, I learned something more about their “characteristics” than before. For example, their IQ is normally below 70-75 and there are significant limitations in two or more adaptive areas such as skills needed to live, work, and play in the community, communication, and self-care. It is a significant issue because people with intellectual disabilities are right now facing some difficulties with their communication and social skills. As a part of the Singaporean community and what I can do as a UWC student, is to help them to create a more inclusive community for them by helping the athletes improving their certain social skills.
During the fitness session, it is very important to learn the name of each athlete and to greet them by saying their names. It will make them feel a sense of closeness therefore enhancing their confidence within our interaction. There are also many small actions that we need to pay extra attention to work with our athletes. For example, when talking to the athletes, the speaking speed should slow down as half as our normal speed and the sentences’ structure should keep as simple as possible by considering their comprehension skill is not strong enough. Giving feedback in time such as encouragement and suggestion is also an important action that should be taken during the session. Encouraging our athletes, it is not only making them being confident in themselves but also giving them a sense of accomplishment of what they are doing, which hitting one of our goals of the service.