How much do you know about intellectual disabilities? | Matthew Williams | TEDxVancouver

In a talk that garnered a tearful standing ovation, Matthew Williams demands equality and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities, told from the perspective of a Special Olympics athlete. Recorded at TEDxVancouver at Rogers Arena on November 14, 2015.

Matthew Williams is a firm believer in the power of sport to transform lives. He experienced it firsthand when he joined Special Olympics in the eighth grade. Williams has achieved a great deal in his decade with Special Olympics. He competed in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in basketball, where the first-ever Canadian basketball team to participate in a World Games finished fourth. He has also participated in track and field, swimming, floor hockey, and curling.



Now 23 years old, Matthew has become a Special Olympics International Sargent Shriver Global Messenger and a member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors, where he shares athletes’ perspectives with leaders of this global movement.

YouTube tags: TED, TEDxVancouver, TEDxVancouver 2015, Vancouver, TEDx, Rogers Arena,

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

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