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Special Olympic health screening benefits athletes

DAR ES SALAAM: SOME 40 athletes with intellectual disabilities recently received vital health screenings through the Opening Eyes programme organised by Special Olympics Tanzania (SOT) with support from the Golisano Foundation.

The initiative aims to improve overall health and well-being of the athletes, ensuring they have access to essential healthcare services that promote both physical and mental wellness.

Intellectual disability, or ID, is a term used when a person has certain limitations in cognitive functioning and skills, including conceptual, social and practical skills, such as language, social and self-care skills.

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The SOT exercise targeted intellectually disadvantaged children in order to find amicable ways to support them.

According to eye specialist, Hamis Ngaleni, those who were found with visual impairments were provided with free prescription glasses, sports goggles, eye drops and other necessary medical support.

“Through our screenings, we found that some of them had partial vision while others experienced hyperopia; a vision condition in which nearby objects seem blurry.

“The exercise also focused on identifying urgent medical needs, provide medical referrals and provide care coordination for those with referrals,” he said.

Ngaleni seized the platform to urge parents and guardians with intellectual disabled children not to keep them indoors, but rather let them out so that they should be seen and get support.

Ngaleni lauded SOT for being on the forefront in helping intellectually challenged children across the country, through organising various initiatives that have direct impacts on them.