"Disability is not a barrier to doing sports. You can live your passion with a disability."
Awa Ndao, Healthy Communities Project Coordinator for Special Olympics Sénégal, has won recognition in the Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP). Awa hung up her own sporting shoes and became a coach for young people with and without intellectual disabilities Tamba, Sénégal. Since, she made it her mission to spread the message that people with disabilities can and should play sport. She developed a Unified sports program so that young people of all abilities can practice the OVEP values of perseverance and inclusion together.
"Sports is a vehicle for education, development and integration. As a special educator, my whole fight is for advocacy and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities."
Through a series of video episodes, "Voices of OVEP" highlights the journeys of implementers who dedicate themselves to promoting the Olympic values of respect, excellence, and friendship. Through the eyes and voices of OVEP implementers, audiences gain valuable insights into the transformative power of Olympic values, witnessing firsthand how they shape lives and foster understanding across cultural divides.