Amiallana Justus
CECO’s Special Olympics is one of the most anticipated events for students who have Cerebral Palsy and encourages strength, independence, and growth of individuals with neurological motor disabilities on Friday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Throughout the month of March, the Conductive Education Center of Orlando celebrated National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month with a “Mission Impossible” themed Special Olympics.
CECO marks its 25th annual anniversary by demonstrating the physical milestones students from school day and adult day programs have reached through the conductive education model.
CECO was founded in 2001 and provides innovative programs for lifelong learning and development with opportunities that transform lives through conductive education. The organization currently serves 150 children and adults annually, maintaining small classes with a low student to staff ratio.
This event gives students the chance to cross the finish line to receive their ribbons while reminding the community about the resilience and commitment these students have in themselves to make it this far.
Inclusion and Acceptance
CECO Special Olympics gives individuals the chance to be themselves while participating in games and events that will be sure to leave a lasting mark on every attendee.
“Having a son that has been in the program since he was 5 and now, we are celebrating 25 years of this, it’s amazing,” said Joe Raymond, co-founder of CECO. “The thing is I don’t see these students with a disability, I see them with the potential and opportunity to do great things and here at CECO, we can fulfill that purpose in life of self worth. You can see it in the smiles of the students and how they participate.”
Individuals with a disability can often feel left out or not be given the same opportunities as others but not in this community. For them, a disability only means they have to work a little harder for what they want.
“People are amazed at what these kids can do and there are people cheering in the stands and celebrating like they would at any other event,” said Raymond. “People get to experience that having a disability doesn’t mean you’re different or you can’t do this or you can’t do that, it shows everyone should be treated the same way and have the same opportunities.”
CECO encourages families to give their children the best possible treatment at this program for neurological motor disabilities. The Special Olympics teaches students to work together and to learn their own way of communicating to each other.
“My son was prematurely born three months early, but the hardships for us is there was nothing out there for children with neurological motor disabilities like cerebral palsy,” said Raymond. “We searched and came across this program that was life changing because in life when you have something as dramatic as that with a child, you could be like ‘oh poor me’ or look at it as an opportunity to do good. We found this program in Hungary and that led to starting this program with 6 kids in a 6-week program and now we have 80 kids a week at CECO.”
Casey Schaefer, mom of fourth year student Evan, said having children with neurological disabilities has changed the trajectory of her life. Even though this wasn’t something she was expecting, being a part of CECO has made the transition to get treatment for her kids much easier.
“This whole event is about inclusion and acceptance and it’s so wonderful and appreciated from a parents point of view that these types of events exist,” said Schaefer. “We can come here with no judgement, it’s going to be full of encouragement, and believing in our kids and all their different abilities to do these games and have fun. It’s great because as a parent of a child with a disability, there aren’t a lot of opportunities like this and places where you truly feel accepted and welcomed.”
Students at CECO are given the opportunity to express themselves without fear of judgement or criticism from others. This event gave adults and young kids the chance to hang out and learn more ways to communicate to others while enjoying themselves freely.
“I think this event is important for the kids because just because they use a wheelchair, a walker, or a device to speak or communicate, that they are capable and able to do a variety of things,” said Schaefer. “That’s what’s so great about the CECO staff is all of them know of our children’s abilities and our kids surprise us with what they’re able to do because they figure out a way to modify and adapt while building their confidence. It’s important for the children socially to cheer on their other friends and just have a great time like any other child.”
CECO’s teachers help find ways to get students to communicate with them and other people. Some of the students are nonverbal, but can still express themselves through facial expressions or gestures.
“Having a child with a disability changes everything. Evan was our first child and it has opened us up to a world that we weren’t a part of before and we never imagined being a part of before as far as the special needs community,” said Schaefer. “It’s been an amazing opportunity and we’ve learned so much and the capacity for compassion and understanding different people and realizing that everyone is on a journey and you never know what people are dealing with increases. The opportunity to see joy and love everyday in different ways where you can truly appreciate things people may think it’s small, you have a different view point and know that it’s not. The milestones for your kids are even bigger and even worthier of appreciation and celebration.”
Andrea Rodriguez, CECO’s Adult Program Director, said working with students with neurological motor disabilities means everything to her and has opened her eyes to the unexpected possibilities of what working hard can really do for these students.
“I love seeing the smiles on the students’ faces and the excitement when they come to CECO , and just seeing their progress every single day, them gaining more independence and the meaningful relationships they build,” said Rodriguez. “When somebody comes to CECO first and we talk to the parents about goals and what they want to achieve for their children, doctors might set limitations but here we are making the impossible possible.”
There were many games where students had the chance to use their motor skills such as tug a war, blow bubbles, play corn hole, and use water tubes to catch some toys in a kiddy pool. These events help to create a sense of accomplishment for these students as the older they get, the more they learn.
“The theme is mission impossible here and what we are trying to showcase is that everything is possible for the students here,” said Rodriguez. “They have worked so hard during the year on a daily basis and they can show the progress they made at CECO and how independent they are in certain activities.”
These students are just like everyone else and come together to build a community of non judgement and understanding of people with disabilities. Disabilities teach people to be more accepting of others and themselves.
“I believe the students should feel very proud of themselves and come here to be in a different environment where they can play games and sports like everyone else in the community,” said Rodriguez. “This program has given me another perspective in life and can see the burst through the students’ eyes where it taught me so much more about patience, empathy, and that there are no limitations here and some impossible things we can make possible here at CECO.”
CECO’s Special Olympics gave students the opportunity to be themselves and experience what any other child and adult should experience.
For more information on CECO, visit HERE.
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