Healthy Athletes
Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® is a worldwide health program through which Special Olympics volunteers and partners improve the health of people with intellectual disabilities and address health conditions such as chronic pain, disease, blindness, hearing loss and shortened life span that needlessly affect this under-served population.
Through its sub-programs, Healthy Athletes offers health screenings for podiatry (Fit Feet), dentistry (Special Smiles®), audiology (Healthy Hearing), vision (Opening Eyes®) , physical therapy (FUNfitness), sports physicals (MedFest®) and overall health and wellbeing (Health Promotion).
Healthy Athletes in Vermont currently offers three screenings including dentistry, physical therapy and health and well-being. We partner with reputable universities and research institutions to conduct cutting edge research and evaluation to promote better understanding of issues surrounding intellectual disabilities. Professionals and volunteers have received training to work with patients with intellectual disabilities; this training helps health professionals increase their knowledge, comfort level, and competence in working with patients with intellectual disabilities and enables them to bring these skills back to their communities.
The Healthy Athletes screening in Vermont typically takes place on the Saturday of our Summer Games competition. In 2013, the screening will take place Saturday, June 8 at the University of Vermont.
If you are interested in volunteering, please visit this link.
Clinical Directors
Dr. Nevin Zablotsky – Special Smiles
Joel Desautels MPT, ATC – Funfitness
Desiree de Waal MS, RD, CD – Health Promotion
Opening Eyes – Open
Healthy Hearing – Open
MedFest – Open
We are seeking Clinical Directors for the other programs. If you are interested, please contact Chris Bernier.
Partners