Diversified Games and Activities for Low Organization for Mentally Retarded Children
Diversified Games and Activities for Low Organization for Mentally Retarded Children
- Description (Brief)
- Manual for teaching Diversified Games and Activities for Low Organization for Mentally Retarded Children, given to Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) as a counselor at Camp Shriver, 1962.
- Camp Shriver began in Eunice Shriver’s backyard at her Timberlawn estate in 1962. Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and Rose, an intellectually disabled sister, decided to hold a day camp for intellectually disabled kids from DC and Maryland. The high school age counselors were taught how to teach the campers different skills through play and introduced them to horseback riding, swimming, canoeing and group games, many of the campers experiencing these activities for the first time. Camp Shriver continued each summer until 1968 when the first Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago which has grown into the largest organization for intellectually disabled athletes in the world. Mary Hammerbacher (Manner) applied to be a volunteer at the camp through her parochial high school and worked there from 1962-1967.
- From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- manual
- manual, special olympics
- user
- Manner, Mary H.
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 11 in x 8 1/8 in x 1/8 in; 27.94 cm x 20.6375 cm x.3175 cm
- ID Number
- 2017.0239.08
- accession number
- 2017.0239
- catalog number
- 2017.0239.08
- subject
- Disabilities
- Special Olympics
- recreational
- Children
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
- Sports & Leisure
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.