Abe Assaad, a Special Olympics athlete hailing from New Mexico, is Abe Assaad. He is a poly hockey, track and field, volleyball, softball, soccer, swimming, flag football, and basketball player. Since 1993, he has been involved with Special Olympics. Abe is a regular participant in Special Olympics, and he enjoys being active with his local Special Olympics teams. Abe is also aware of the importance of being active outside of the Special Olympics. A certified personal coach is his partner. He trains four days per week. Abe works out with Adrian Baca, his personal trainer, three times per week at the gym.
“My training and fitness goals are just as important to me as any Olympic champion or professional athlete,” Abe says that his trainer is attentive to my goals and takes them seriously. He helps me reach them.
Abe is among the 200 million people worldwide who have intellectual disabilities (ID). The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities defines ID as having an impairment in cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior that began before the age of 22. ID is the most prevalent developmental disability and affects 1-3% of the world’s population (Maulik, Patel, and Alain; Patel et al. I can be described as having Down Syndrome or Autism.
Abe is also among more than 6 million athletes and Unified Sports partners from over 190 countries and territories who participate in Special Olympics. This year-round global movement to end discrimination towards people with intellectual disabilities offers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and more than 100,000 games and competitions each year.
Many Special Olympics athletes love going to the gym, just like Abe. A 2021 survey by Special Olympics and IHRSA Foundation found that people with ID who go to the gym regularly report feeling motivated and more energetic by their improved health. 74% of respondents to the survey reported that they went to the gym at least twice a week. 51.3% said they did so two to three times a week, and 22.7% four times or more. The top five reasons people go to a gym are weight loss, training for a race or sport, and having fun.
Only one in 10 ID holders meets the World Health Organization guidelines for physical activity (Oviedo G. R. Travier, N. & Guerra–Balic M., 2017). People with ID are 2 to 4 times more likely to follow the physical activity guidelines than the general population. This is a significant factor in poorer health for those with ID. Two-thirds of ID people are obese, have heart disease, and are five times more likely to have diabetes than their age-related counterparts (Heslop et al. Al., 2013; Segal M. et al., 2016; Krahn G. & Fox M., 2014).
People with ID aren’t less active simply because they lack motivation; according to the 2021 Activity Alliance Annual Disability and Activity Survey, 81% of persons with disabilities reported wanting to be more active. People with ID have many barriers to exercising in a gym setting. According to the IHRSA survey results, those who don’t currently attend a gym are more likely not to have self-efficacy or social support. People with ID cited the following as top barriers: Not having someone to help them or have their back, fear of injury, and doubts about being able to exercise. With the assistance of a qualified fitness professional, these problems can be solved.
86% of employees in the fitness industry report that their current training is inadequate for them to train trainers and other fitness professionals to deal with ID (Raising The Bar, 2019, 2019).
Special Olympics and ACE teamed up to address training challenges in 2021 by creating the Special Olympics Inclusive Training. This 60-minute course is an excellent way for fitness professionals to earn 0.1 continuing education credit. This course also provides essential information to help fitness professionals design safe and effective exercises for people with ID.
Abe Assaad from Special Olympics said, “The best trainers help me push myself as hard and as hard as possible.” I love going to the gym, feeling tired but more assertive and confident about myself. I also love coming back tomorrow.
Keep checking our blog for the next post about how to create safe and effective programs for people with ID. To see Special Olympics’ tools and assessments, click here. To learn more about specific fitness tests you can share with people with ID, follow ACE on Instagram
