Special Olympics medal won by Ricardo Thornton
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Special Olympics Unified sports medal with a yellow and red ribbon won by Ricardo Thornton in 2009. The front is embossed with "Special Olympics [/] Unified Sport," and the back has the Special Olympics Unified sports logo of two hands clapping together is embossed in the center. Unified sports was introduced to the Special Olympics in the 1980s and pairs non disabled athletes with Special Olympics athletes. Ricardo Thornton (b. 1959) lived for 20 years in an institution, placed there by his family in the early 1960s. He learned to play sports and met his future wife, Donna, there. He and Donna, both wards of the District of Columbia, had to fight to get married in 1984. After they married, they left the institution, had a son, and now have grandchildren. Thornton has worked most of his adult life while continuing to compete in sports.
label: Description (Brief)
content: From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: Special Olympics
label: web subject
content: Disabilities
label: web subject
content: African American
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2017.0331.15.3
label: accession number
content: 2017.0331
label: catalog number
content: 2017.0331.15.3
objectType: label: Object Name
content: medal, special olympics
label: Object Name
content: special olympics medal
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ribbon (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 18 3/4 in x 1 1/2 in x 2 in; 47.625 cm x 3.81 cm x 5.08 cm