Bonaventure reacts to Special Olympics proposal

Secretary of Education in President Donald Trump’s administration, Betsy DeVos, faced heavy backlash last week from the decision to cut Special Olympics, as well as other various education programs out of the federal budget.
Last Thursday, after the outrage at this decision started, Trump made an announcement while talking with reporters that he had overrode his own administration officials’ resolution the matter of Special Olympics, adding it once again to the budget.
Coordinator Liaison for St. Bonaventure’s Special Olympics programs, Dr. Paula Scraba, O.S.F., said that St. Bonaventure University has several close ties to the Special Olympics program.
“Neal Johnson, who just retired as the head CEO for New York Special Olympics is a Bonaventure alumni,” said Scraba.
Scraba also said St. Bonaventure University is the only university that she knows of that trains students to be volunteer coaches in one country to go to a different country to coach there. She said this is done through ENACTUS.
Scraba herself has experience in involvement with Special Olympics programs.
“My background was special physical education, and so I was involved in Special Olympics in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Mexico,” said Scraba.
Scraba also said that the Special Olympics reaches and impacts a lot of people.
“Special Olympics is the largest amateur sport organization in the world,” said Scraba.
This large reach helped to contribute to the initial criticism that Betsy DeVos faced.
“I still can’t understand why you would go after disabled children in your budget,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) during the hearing with DeVos over the administration’s proposed budget.
Scraba said about the initial cuts to the budget, “My first reaction was ‘WHAT!?’”
Scraba said that the decision, if it wasn’t reversed, would have been a total political disaster and a huge scandal for the White House.
Ryan Signorino, a senior journalism major, said about the original budget cuts, “It’s discriminating. Sports are an environment in which everyone should have the ability to play and compete.”
Jayda Muniz, a freshman sociology major, felt the initial decision to cut Special Olympics was unfair. She said the program helps to show that those with physical and mental disabilities are people, too.
“Considering that the Special Olympics have been around for decades, it would be a shame that they end it now, especially since mental and physical disabilities are receiving more attention and support from the public,” said Muniz.
USA Today reported that DeVos searched for more funding for certain programs like charter schools, prioritizing them over the programs being cut in her proposal, like Special Olympics.
If they were truly cut from the budget, Special Olympics might not survive as they exist today.
“So, Special Olympics is a totally free program to all its participants,” said Scraba. “So that’s why it is totally dependent on fundraisers and such.”
Scraba said the Special Olympics program runs fully off of this outside funding.
“I would have anticipated that, had the program been cut from the budget, the money would dry up and that Special Olympics would then have to be footing the bill or start charging people, and that is not a part of their philosophy,” said Scraba.
CNN reports that this is the third attempt DeVos has made to eliminating Special Olympics from the federal budget.
Scraba said, “The fact is, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s [founder of the Special Olympics] influence in the United States for education for all is so strong that what happened was, when the Republicans said enough is enough, we’re not agreeing to the cut to Special Olympics, then Trump reversed and said he wasn’t cutting Special Olympics.”
Muniz said that the reversal of the decision shows that the budget proposal wasn’t fully thought out.
“Of course, in this decade where people are beginning to understand others better, there would be backlash,” said Muniz. “I feel like they should have more people who understand the beliefs and ideas of the current generations to help decide on things such as this.”