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Health and Wellness

There is a mistaken belief that people with intellectual disabilities receive the same or better health care than others - they typically receive sub-standard care, or virtually no health care at all. At Special Olympics Kansas we are dedicated to the overall well-being of our athletes, coaches and families and have developed and implemented several programs to promote health and wellness in our community. Watch this 2 minute testimonial from parents about the benefits of Healthy Athletes.

Healthy Athletes has been offered by SOKS since 2003. This program provides health screenings free of charge to SOKS athletes at competition venues. Offered in a welcoming, family friendly and fun environment, these screenings educate athletes on healthy life style choices and identify problems that may need additional professional follow-up. Click on the links to learn more.

Free medical screenings are offered in a number of disciplines:

FUNFitness
Healthy Hearing
Health Promotion
Opening Eyes
Special Smiles

Shape-Up Kansas has several components to a program designed to increase the fitness level among SOKS athletes while encouraging the

m to develop healthy habits. Programs allow athletes to work alone or in groups. The Weekly Work-Out program expects participants to meet set goals while working with a Shape-up Coordinator (Training companion). Bike 4 Life was developed by Coach John Lair of Pittsburg, and has an impressive weight loss record for both coaches and athletes who participate.

TRAIN is a health assessment and educational program designed to assess Special Olympics athletes' sports skills and provide them with nutritional information while helping them to stay active, stay healthy, and achieve their personal best. Special Olympics Kansas also produces a monthly Health E-newsletter which is distributed to families, coaches, and local program directors.

SOKS Healthy Families Team
This program provides:

Tools to help you and your family develop healthy lifestyles;
Resources in the community that will support your family fitness goals;
Resources in the community that will help you create or support your nutritional goals; and
Motivation/Inspiration to keep you on track - Personal Stories of Success

Click here to learn more about Healthy Families.

We believe that by following a healthy lifestyle regimen athletes are better suited to live active longer and more active lives.

Health and Wellness Programs are funded in part by grants from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing, Wichita and Amerigroup.