Unfortunately, the fiscal unrest continues to in Athens but fortunately the energy of Youth Leader and Special Olympic athletes gives us confidence in a better and stronger tomorrow. I had the honor of joining a youth leadership session of over 120 young and vibrant students from around the world.  Varun, a Youth Summit Partner told me about a text campaign he ran in India which gathered 11.2 million signatures from other students to end the R-word.  He did this with just a mobile phone, friends and without hesitancy to spread the word.  Varun’s story is just one of the many inspirational and stories of hope.

Eddie, my new found friend, is a global messenger for equality.  He has two jobs; one in a senior care facility and the other as an actor in a number of movies and television shows.  His ability to clearly and passionately articulate his experiences and struggles allows those outside the disabilities community with a glimpse into daily life of someone with an intellectual or developmental disability. 

The take away of this morning’s session was that youth ARE changing the world but are WE really ready to embrace and support their “dignity revolution.”  It was a reminder that we adults are making decisions about youth without inviting them to join the conversation.  Today, we listened and WOW did they respond with ideas, strategies and action steps to bring awareness to the power unity brings to our local and global communities.  One of the panelists from Namibia ended the session with a poignant statement, “nothing for us without us.” Let this serve as a constant reminder that our kids, students, friends, neighbors or family members with disabilities have a voice and we are responsible for listening to and empowering them.

We were so moved by the stories of hope, leadership and courage and wanted to share them with our AbilityPath community.  Meet Ali and Jordan an amazing dynamic duo and stay tuned for more video interviews with other Olympic Game Participants!