Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III and Tim Shriver, president of the Special Olympics, talk about “Learning from All Persons.”

Shriver’s mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics. As a very young child, he recalls, his mother hosted summer camps for children with intellectual disabilities at the family home in Bethesda, Maryland. “I can remember seeing school buses pull up at our house, and a hundred or so children would empty out of these school buses,” he says. “They were coming from institutions … places removed from society.”

Shriver could not understand where the children came from, why they had been “put away,” and why his mother so badly wanted them to have fun.

Eunice Shriver’s interest in people with intellectual disabilities emerged from her own childhood experiences. Her sister, Rosemary, was often hidden away because of her disability. Their mother had great difficulties in finding medical and other care for Rosemary. Eunice “became a relentless advocate for change, driven … by anger, but also by conviction, also by faith, also by the firm belief that society was wrong” to marginalize persons with disabilities, according to Tim Shriver.

He has come to understand the devastating results for parents when a child is diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, and other disabilities that limit one’s ability to succeed—at least according to broadly accepted definitions of success. Shriver describes the challenge to include and accept disabled people as a civil rights claim. It might be voiced thus: “Even though I cannot perform, even though I will not meet your definition of success, even though I will not belong in the way you want me to belong, I matter. I count. I deserve a chance.”

Special Olympics events—“a civil rights movement of the spirit,” according to Shriver—represent a fresh start for participating athletes. Depressed expectations are swept away as the athlete crosses the finish line. The athlete learns, “You matter,” Shriver says. “It is a complete reversal of value.”

Shriver examines Christian inspiration for helping others. “If you go down to give a day at the homeless shelter, are you doing it because Jesus told you to do it? Or are you doing it because Jesus is there?” he asks.

In Shriver’s view, many people give because of invitation, not because of admonition. He says that disabled people most often cite loneliness as their biggest obstacle. Two of the greatest gifts and examples they offer are openness and friendship.

Dr. Timothy Shriver is Chairman of Special Olympics, where he has overseen dramatic growth in the worldwide organization, including the recruitment of 1.5 million new athletes, and led new initiatives in athlete leadership, cross-cultural research, health, education, and family support. He has also produced or co-produced Hollywood films to inspire change and support for the disadvantaged, including Amistad. A leading educator focusing on the social and emotional factors in learning, Shriver co-founded and chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

About Tim Shriver

Dr. Timothy Shriver is Chairman of Special Olympics, where he has overseen dramatic growth in the worldwide organization, including the recruitment of 1.5 million new athletes, and led new initiatives in athlete leadership, cross-cultural research, health, education, and family support. He has also produced or co-produced Hollywood films to inspire change and support for the disadvantaged, including Amistad. A leading educator focusing on the social and emotional factors in learning, Shriver co-founded and chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).