Race for Inclusion: Speaker Series

Race for Inclusion Speaker Series Tackles Healthcare Challenges

As part of the 2024 Race for Inclusion – and to kick off Disability Pride Month – Special Olympics Florida and Orlando Health hosted the first in a series of panel discussions focusing on the needs of people with intellectual disabilities (ID), on July 1.

Empowering Care: Navigating Healthcare for People with Intellectual Disabilities featured five distinguished panelists, including Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock and four Healthy Athletes Clinical Directors: Sue Kassoff-Correia, Marc Colaluce, Jackie Davie, and Nadine Girgis Hanna. The panel was moderated by Special Olympics Florida Board Member and Orlando Health executive Cary D’Ortona.

For more than an hour, the group discussed a wide range of healthcare issues facing people with ID and their families – everything from finding a provider to dispelling misconceptions about intellectual disabilities. The event was held at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in downtown Orlando.

The panel discussion was part of the 2024 Race for Inclusion Speaker Series. The Race for Inclusion is Special Olympics Florida’s annual statewide fundraiser and campaign to build communities where people with intellectual disabilities are treated with dignity and respect.

This year, the Race for Inclusion features eight fundraisers around the state – everything from 5Ks to open-water swims – to raise money supporting the more than 70,000 athletes of Special Olympics Florida. It also includes the Speaker Series, which highlights topics such as healthcare, transportation, and employment.

Watch the full panel discussion

The Road to Inclusion: Addressing the Transportation Needs of People with ID

As part of its 2024 Race for Inclusion initiative, Special Olympics Florida recently held its second panel discussion focusing on the needs of people with intellectual disabilities on July 23.

Creating Accessible Paths: Overcoming Transportation Barriers for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities featured five expert panelists discussing how transportation systems can better serve Special Olympics athletes and others with ID. The discussion was moderated by Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock.

Panelists included:

Raquel Regalado, Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Eulois Cleckley, Miami-Dade County’s Director and CEO of the Department of Transportation & Public Works
Chris Margaronis, Florida Partnership Manager at Uber Transit
Leslie Walker, Founder of Best Practice LLC
Patrick Goddard, President of Brightline

The discussion was held at the Miami offices of Brightline, Florida’s only privately owned, intercity passenger rail line. It was the second installment of the 2024 Race for Inclusion Speaker Series.

This year’s Race for Inclusion initiative features eight fundraisers around the state – everything from 5Ks to open-water swims – to raise money supporting the more than 70,000 athletes of Special Olympics Florida. In South Florida, The Miami Race for Inclusion is a 5K run scheduled for December 14 at Bayfront Park. You can sign up for that race – or any other – at RaceforInclusion.org.

A huge thanks to our panelists for working to address the transportation needs of our athletes and all people with intellectual disabilities.

Watch the full panel discussion