SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — The Trump Administration wanted to cut nearly 18 million from the Special Olympics.
Late Thursday, after a sudden and quick national outcry, the president said he would restore the money.
“That upset me because I’m going, it’s always the disabled that get cut," said Mary Antonelli, a special needs mother.
Antonelli works alongside people with disabilities everyday and her daughter is also an athlete with the Special Olympics.
She said cutting any funding from the program is painful.
“My daughter became involved in Special Olympics about 22 years ago, through the schools and with that she made lasting friendships with peers who are not disabled,” said Antonelli.
Special Olympics Oklahoma said if funding was cut, it would have directly affected the Unified Champion Schools Program, which provides partnering opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.
“It makes me feel good whenever her peers say, ‘Hey, Megs, you want to go the movies? I’ll come by and pick you up.’ I’ve seen so many of my clients who are closed off who didn’t have that relationship in school," said Antonelli.
Antonelli is proud to call her daughter a Special Olympian and hopes future Olympians will benefit from continued funding.
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