Special Olympics

Special Olympics is a global organization that provides persons with disabilities year-round sports training and competition. DEHI encourages and supports participation. Our Special Olympians, with their coaches, participate in the summer and winter Hancock, Penobscot and Piscataquis counties regional games. Along with training and athletic competitions, athletes who participate in this organization gain opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience success, and participate with other Special Olympics.

Special Olympics is founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team sports, adapted as necessary to meet the needs of those with special mental and physical limitations. Individuals must be at least eight years old and identified as having a cognitive delay, or a developmental disability, that is, functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills.