[nabs-l] Volunteering with Special Education

[Chris Nusbaum]

Hi All:

Has anyone had any experience volunteering as a "fan" or "buddy" for Special Olympics? I'm interested in doing this at my high school, and our Special Olympics coordinator is very open to my volunteering in this role. However, a question has been raised as to how to ensure that I'm getting my athlete to the right events. Apparently they don't have a pre-planned setup, so volunteers don't know where each event is placed on the field until the day of the competition. Our coordinator is concerned that I would have difficulty assisting a student to an event when I don't even know where it is myself, and has asked me for ideas on how to resolve this concern. I think this is doable; I just don't know enough about how Special Olympics is set up to offer any informed, workable solutions. She has proposed that I be paired up with another volunteer, and that together we could work with the student to whom we're assigned. However, I'm concerned that this might confuse or overwhelm the student nt. Has anyone particpated in this program before? If so, what strategies could you suggest to make this work? Thanks in advance for any ideas you could share. 

Chris Nusbaum

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