"I was very confused because I don't usually see my face in places like that. My face just popped out of nowhere."
It's not every day Richmond resident Aaron Zhang, 11, gets to see his photo on posters in his local Safeway.
This is part of Special Olympics Canada's national fundraising campaign with Empire Company Ltd. to raise funds to support those living with intellectual disabilities through educational programs.
Aaron is one of nine Special Olympic athlete ambassadors chosen this year to share the message of inclusion while tackling misconceptions and stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities in schools and the workplace.
Special Olympics is a global organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with a mission to create a more inclusive world through sports.
As a Diefenbaker student with high-functioning autism, Aaron said individuals with intellectual disabilities are not that much different.
"To me, they don't really have any differences. Like everyone, they should be treated the same," he said.
"You can be friends with them. You can interact with them. They're just exactly like normal people."
Through the Special Olympics program, Aaron has played a variety of sports, depending on the season, such as basketball, baseball, floor hockey and track and field.
"I don't have a favourite sport. They're all fun to me," he said.
"Donations to the program will help us get more equipment for sports so we can play."
Aaron is learning with his youth coach, Phoebe Lau, in the fundamental program, a Special Olympics youth program geared towards kids seven to 12 years old with an intellectual disability to teach them the basics of sports.
Lau explained they focus on one sport each month to prepare them for regular sports programs.
'Disappointing' survey results
A recent internal Ipsos survey conducted by Special Olympics Canada showed 20 per cent of those surveyed believe including people with intellectual disabilities at school and work could have negative effects.
Meanwhile, 18 per cent were not sure.
The numbers are disheartening for Aaron.
"I feel treated very disrespectfully by these people, and they're kind of being biased to us in a bad way," he said.
Lau added that while these statistics are disappointing to see, she is not surprised.
"I think most of the misconception exists because people lack exposure to people with intellectual disability," said Lau.
"When people don't understand or don't know, it's easy to have a misconception or form a negative opinion. But if they are willing to open their mind, open their heart up, a lot of people with intellectual disabilities, they only need you to give them a little bit more patience and a chance."
One of the biggest misconceptions, she added, is that people think those with intellectual disabilities don't understand or cannot do a lot of things, which is not true.
"A lot of our athletes have jobs, they volunteer within their ... communities and do live alone. Maybe they need a little bit of help, but they are very independent."
While Aaron has not encountered drastic barriers, he has taken opportunities to teach those around him what intellectual disabilities are and their different forms.
"I kind of explained to them in a good way; I say there's autism, there's high-functioning and low-functioning. But they don't really matter to me, since they're all people, they're all kind and can do many things," he said.
"They do it in a special way."
Aaron said he has never found it a problem and always has fun learning new skills.
He added that the Special Olympics program has helped him with his social skills to make new friends.
"I can also learn new sports and new skills, and we can learn from each other with everyone else," he said.
"Everyone is like a role model, where you can learn from each other. We share knowledge about anything."
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