People with intellectual disabilities still experience major hurdles in the Swiss healthcare system. They are not always addressed as equals, receive too little understandable information, and encounter structures that are hardly tailored to their needs. The consequences are serious: studies show that their life expectancy is up to 20 years lower than the rest of the population. Access to prevention, exercise, and health education is also often limited.
According to surveys by Special Olympics Germany (Healthy Athletes examinations from 2008 to 2022), 77% of participants have nail and skin changes on their feet, 34% require dental treatment, 26% are severely overweight, 19% have hearing loss, 48% need glasses, and 45% require physiotherapy.
The Special Olympics ‘Health’ program addresses this very point. It pursues the goal of improving the physical and socio-emotional well-being of people with intellectual disabilities and effectively integrating them into healthcare, nursing, and wellness systems. The focus is on the person: their strengths, their self-determination, their participation.
In June 2024, the Board of Trustees decided to establish a “Health” division starting in 2025. With Romain Fardel (Head of Health) and Dr. Martin Liesch (Board of Trustees), two experienced professionals have been recruited to drive implementation in Switzerland. International collaboration with Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia and Special Olympics International ensures that the program is based on proven concepts of evidence-based medicine and is supported by a strong network.
Why is Special Olympics Health needed?
People with intellectual disabilities have specific needs in healthcare that are often insufficiently considered. The “5A” Availability, Accessibility, Accommodation, Affordability, Acceptability describe the requirements for a fair healthcare system – but these are often not met for our target group.
Barriers such as “Diagnostic Overshadowing”*, lack of training for healthcare staff, insufficient health literacy, or structural disadvantage reinforce each other.
Goals of the Health Program
- Improving overall well-being and physical and mental performance
- Self-determination and participation in one’s own healthcare is possible
- Barriers to healthcare access for people with intellectual disabilities are reduced
- There are target-group-specific offerings to increase health literacy
- People with intellectual disabilities as multipliers in the health sector are trained and deployed (Health Messengers)
The Four Pillars of the Program
The Health program takes a holistic approach with measures in the areas of prevention, health screenings, training, and awareness-raising in the healthcare system.
Measures of the Health Program
The core of the program is Healthy Athletes®, consisting of the following medical examination disciplines:
- Fit Feet – Podiatry
- FUNfitness – Physical Therapy
- Healthy Hearing – Hearing and Ear Health
- Health Promotion – Healthy Lifestyle
- Lions Clubs International Foundation Opening Eyes® – Vision, Eye Health
- Special Smiles® – Dental and Oral Hygiene
- Strong Minds – Stress Management, Mental Health
The relevant examinations are carried out by trained professionals (Clinical Directors) and offered at events such as National Games.
In addition, Health Messengers are trained to act as health ambassadors, support peers, and provide information at eye level.
The program also includes
- Training in plain language
- Peer-to-peer offerings
- Awareness-raising for medical staff
- Networking with professional and trade associations
- a digital platform for health education in plain language (by 2028)
Exercise and Health in Institutions
In parallel, a health-promoting project for institutions is being rolled out: Building on a successful pilot project, residents of facilities for people with disabilities are to gain increased access to regular exercise, play, and sports starting in 2026 – also in response to the increasing pressure in institutional daily life.
Special Olympics Health is more than just a health program: it is an inclusive approach that closes gaps, promotes participation, and contributes to improving the quality of life in the long term. For this change to succeed, broad support is needed – from professionals, institutions, partners, and politics. Special Olympics Switzerland is ready to take this path – together with a strong network and with the goal of making health accessible to all.
*Diagnostic Overshadowing means diagnostic overshadowing. It describes the process in which symptoms of a mental or physical illness in people with intellectual disabilities are overlooked or misinterpreted because they are regarded as part of the disability. This can lead to serious illnesses not being recognized and treated accordingly.
Contact
Romain Fardel
Health
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