Seattle P-I – May 18, 2008

Special Olympics Warm an Imperfect World
By Gregory Burns
GUEST COLUMNIST

You can hear it in any school hallway in America.

"Oh! That's so retarded!"

This insult is usually used to express some minor blip on the teenybopper's lifestyle.

"Your mom won't let you go to the mall? That's soooo retarded!"

With just that flick of an intonation, the speaker implies something horrible, beyond dreadful, a condition to be avoided at all costs. Who cares if people express this innocuous insult?

I care -- because my daughter, Cami, is retarded. Although she is retarded, she is anything but horrible. She is a sweetheart of a girl, a gentle spirit sent down to live among us "normals."

Most people would think twice before using a racial slur or slang to describe a group of people, but somehow the "retarded" are fair game. Someone in the giant playground we call civilization said it was OK to dismiss this most vulnerable of minorities. If they only knew who they were talking about.

For those "normals," I suggest spending a couple of days at an event I attended last year that gave me a new perspective on what it means to be retarded. Imagine a stadium filled with people who are openly flawed and imperfect. Despite their disabilities they wear their hearts on their sleeves because they don't ration their love like the rest of us.

Welcome to the Special Olympics.

When I walked into the stadium, I felt an undercurrent of joy that seemed to be everywhere. There was a lot of smiling, a lot of hugging and a lot of love. I watched one competitor run 20 yards and then jump 3 feet. I watched a boy run with a ragged teddy bear. One girl in a wheelchair with gnarled hands took about 90 seconds to travel about 25 meters on a tartan track; everyone, and I mean everyone who watched, waited patiently and then cheered at the end. She was a hero. Half the time I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

That day my daughter Cami participated and came home with a gold medal around her neck for the 10-meter unassisted walk. Her medal was nice, but I think the real reward for her, and for me, was interacting with those around her, including the "normals." Ultimately I hate to admit it, but I am one of the "normals," too. I judge and fake and hide with the best of them. But sometimes, thanks to Cami, I get a glimpse of how beautiful this world could be, if it was just a little more "retarded."

So, are you looking for some inspiration? Are you overdue for a smile? Does your heart need warming? Has it been a while since you've seen courageous kids give all they've got? Then make a date for the next Special Olympics. You won't be disappointed.

Gregory Burns is a member of the Washington State Fathers Network and lives in Kirkland.