Introduction

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The 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games offered teachers the perfect context for introducing the subject of learning disability in schools, and for teaching their students at all levels about the special talents and gifts of those with a learning disability.

Our School Enrichment Programme was designed to promote awareness within schools and colleges around the 32 counties of Ireland about the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games and people with learning disabilities.

The Programme increases current knowledge about people with learning disabilities, thereby promoting a more positive approach towards those individuals, and also increases students' understanding of the potential of people with learning disabilities in the area of sport.

All the materials, primary and post primary, are now translated into irish, with the irish version available on the scoilnet website at: www.scoilnet.ie.

The Programme also involved schools and colleges organising and participating in various events surrounding the Host Town Programme, Volunteer Programme, Law Enforcement Torch Run Programme ®, and the Support an Athlete Programme.

When? The School Enrichment Programme was introduced into schools and colleges in September 2002 and continued throughout the academic year until May 2003, a month before the start of the Games.

Where? The School Enrichment Programme was introduced into primary schools, secondary schools, universities and colleges around the 32 counties of Ireland.

One of the insights into the success of the SEP, in regards to the volume of response from students, was the success of the An Post Education Awards that took place over the past school year.

The An Post Education Awards pack at primary and post primary levels was developed, in association with Kellogg's, to help teachers and pupils 'Share the Feeling' of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Entitled: 'The Four Corners of Ireland Welcomes The Four Corners of the World', the awards involved an art & creative writing competition based on the SEP. With the number of entries well exceeding 25,000, An Post, who hold similar awards annually, had one of their biggest responses to date.