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Michael Quinn promotes Special Olympics to a participant in the Inclusion Europe Forum. |
Every two years, law enforcement officers from around the world gather to carry the "Flame of Hope" in a Law Enforcement Torch Run® Final Leg in honor of the Special Olympics World Summer or World Winter Games. The Torch Run Final Leg for the 2003 World Summer Games covered more than 15,000 km (9,000 miles) in Europe, the most ambitious Torch Run organized in the region. A group of 93 law enforcement officers, 10 Special Olympics athletes, and support members made up the 2003 Final Leg Running Team. Michael Quinn of Coalislawn, Armagh (Northern Ireland) was one of the athlete runners. He has participated in Special Olympics for ten years and recently spoke at a public forum sponsored by Inclusion Europe.
“Before joining Special Olympics, I did not know what my future would be. Now I have a future. In 2003, I was one of the athlete runners who carried the Special Olympics Flame of Hope from Athens to Dublin. I made even more friends: this was a truly unforgettable experience.
“I now want to give back to Special Olympics what I got out of it. For three days [27-29 May 2004], I was part of a forum organized by ‘Inclusion Europe,' the self-advocacy organization for individuals with intellectual disabilities. It was a very nice experience to be part of self-advocacy discussion groups and talk about important issues for us, such as the right for a paid job, independent living, etc.
“I really enjoyed the meetings. We had a Special Olympics table at the forum and I told visitors about my life with Special Olympics and how it has made me a more independent man.”
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