Special Olympics swimmer hangs up goggles to promote inclusion

The 28 year old, who lives with an intellectual and physical disability and autism, is temporarily hanging up her goggles and embarking on a new journey to promote inclusion in Gladstone as a board member of Special Olympics Australia.

As part of her role, she will deliver a presentation about inclusion in her community at The Global Athlete Congress in Berlin.

The international meeting, held during the World Special Olympics competition in June, enables athletes from around the world to exchange ideas and develop new leadership skills.

The aim is for athletes to return to their home countries empowered to advocate for greater inclusion in their own Special Olympics programs and cities.

“Inclusion is important for me because if we didn’t have it, there wouldn’t be anything for people like me to do,” Ruby said.

“And it’s important because I believe people with disability should have the opportunity to be a part of society as much as everyone else.”

Ruby, a qualified Swimming Australia Teacher, also represents Australia for Special Olympics Asia Pacific on the Athlete Input Council.

In 2022, she was a guest speaker during the Special Olympics International Coach Webinar Series where she shared practical strategies and tips on how to ensure coaches meet the developmental needs of athletes of all abilities.

Special Olympics Asia Pacific also invited Ruby to fly to the Philippines in March and Singapore in September to attend a Leadership Academy and to plan for the World Congress.

Ruby, who had previously won medals at the Special Olympics Australia National Games, is also working with Carers Queensland on its Inclusive Sports and Recreation project as a member of the organisation’s Beyond the Sidelines Reference Group.

The project aims to increase the representation and participation of people with disability in sport and recreation, both on and off the playing field in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Ruby is one of nine hand-picked members that will be instrumental in helping Carers Queensland to identify best practices in sport and recreation for people with disability.

“When there was an opportunity to join the Reference Group I jumped at it because I was like, excellent, this is something cool as well as being something I can be involved in and help other people,” Ruby said.

Ruby said there wasn’t a great deal of opportunity for people to get involved in inclusive sports, and with the right support, in the Gladstone region.

“But our sporting clubs in Gladstone work hard to keep their clubs active, financial and fun to be in,” she said.

“I believe most clubs are inclusive, but I have found that most need ongoing education and support for athletes with a disability and how to accommodate their needs within each club.

“I want everyone to know that people with disability can get involved in sports, yes sometimes it’s hard and we need a bit of support, but we should be included.

“As part of the Reference Group I also want to be able to help to get more people with disability involved sports, it’s something I’ve always wanted, to include more people.

“We deserve better, we deserve to be able to do anything we want to do or anything we want to achieve.”

Carers Queensland chief executive officer Debra Cottrell said the organisation was “committed to amplifying the voices of people with disability to build inclusive communities that achieve our vision of an Australia where people with disability are valued and included in their communities.”

“We will draw upon the knowledge and experience of the group to identify where inclusion is working well, and potential ideas and key stakeholders for furthering the inclusion of people with disabilities in sport and recreation communities across the state,” she said.