Footnotes - Fall 2023 - 23

Participating in Arizona's
Special Olympics Healthy
Athletes Program
By Alicia Stevons, AZCPM Class of 2026
My name is Alicia Stevons and I'm a second-year student at
the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine (AZCPM). Like
many of my classmates, I have already spent several hours
volunteering with Special Olympics Arizona Healthy Athletes.
The Healthy Athletes Program provides free health screenings,
education, and follow-up care for Special Olympic athletes
in a number of disciplines like optometry, physical therapy,
dentistry, clinical psychology, audiology, and podiatry. Fit Feet
is a subset of that program where podiatry students volunteer
to perform lower extremity dermatological, biomechanical,
musculoskeletal, vascular, and gait evaluations on the athletes.
The opportunity to participate in Fit Feet and interact with the
athletes is an invaluable experience, teaching future providers
how to best communicate with those who have an intellectual
disability (ID).
My interest in the Special Olympics began when I met my
now brother-in-law Matthew eight years ago. Matthew has
Down Syndrome and, for the most part, is non-verbal. Over
time, I learned to read his facial cues and hand gestures to help
me to understand him better. An eyebrow raised with widened
eyes meant yes, and rubbing his pointer finger and thumb
together meant I was starting to get on his nerves. These
attributes contribute to what makes him unique. However,
offering Matthew the same quality of care that a non-disabled
person receives can be difficult if a provider has no prior
interactions or training with those who have an ID. This is
why I believe that spending time with the Special Olympics
community is crucial to implementing and encouraging
FALL 2023
Me and my brother-in-law Matthew!
inclusivity in healthcare. In fact, one of the reasons why I
chose to attend AZCPM is because of their heavy involvement
with Special Olympics Arizona which I discovered during my
admission interview with Professor David Jenkins, D.P.M.
Dr. Jenkin's contributions to improving healthcare for
individuals with ID are extensive. He has served as a clinical
director for the Arizona Special Olympics Healthy Athletes
Program for 17 years and has traveled to and volunteered at a
number of USA and World Olympic Games for Fit Feet. His
most recent visit was this summer in Berlin, Germany, where
he was the recipient of the Global Golisano Health Leadership
Award, the highest honor within the Special Olympics!
23
Footnotes - Fall 2023

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