In every corner of the earth, Special Olympics is changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.
CLICKON has worked with Special Olympics for 5 years, producing documentaries, educational films, and case studies to showcase Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® programming, which systematically promotes social inclusion by bringing together young people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It does this by utilizing three components: Special Olympics Unified Sports®, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole School Engagement.
Each component has a strong impact on students and faculty with and without IDD, but together they create an environment that extends from the school into the community.
April is World Autism Month and to recognize this, we wanted to showcase a very special documentary film produced as part of The Moment Series, featuring Prince, whose future, because of the power of Special Olympics Unified Sports, has been changed for the better.
Catherine and Claude Dayas-Tokoto, Prince’s parents, emigrated from Cameroon to the United States, to provide a better life for their children, four of whom have autism. At first, they felt alone, excluded, and uncertain of the future. However, once Prince, their eldest child, attended Kenmore Middle School, a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, they were filled with a renewed hope.
“One day, they invited us to come to this game. I was shocked to see that my son was like a star. Everybody was talking about him, people were screaming. He’s included in regular society. This is the place he’s supposed to be.” Claude Dayas-Tokoto, Prince’s father.
One of CLICKON’s in-house filmmakers, Walker Higgins, was deeply moved by the process of creating the film.
“Making this film was a once in a lifetime experience. It made clear how essential this programming is. Beneath the branding and jargon, lives are truly being changed for the better. It made me immensely proud that we were able to tell this story. We’re honored to have such a trusting and collaborative partnership with Special Olympics North America.”
Watch Catherine & Claude’s Moment here.
