DUBLIN, Ireland -- U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that the Department of Education and the Special Olympics have formed a partnership to increase awareness about the vast abilities of students with disabilities. As part of this effort, Paige said that the Department of Education and Special Olympics this fall will co-host a conference to prepare educators, parents, students and representatives from key national organizations to go back to their communities and help people recognize and utilize the talents of students with disabilities.

The announcement came at the conclusion of Paige's visit to Ireland for the International Special Olympics. Paige marched in the opening ceremonies with Team USA athletes, presented awards to athletes and participated in a Special Olympics town hall meeting. Paige also joined Irish Minister for Education and Science Noel Dempsey for an e-learning activity between Irish students and their peers at a Fairfax County, Va., school.

"What we have seen at these games reinforces President Bush's and my strong support of Special Olympics and its outstanding work in communities around the globe," Secretary Paige said. "Today, I am proud to announce that this administration is teaming up with Special Olympics to change hearts and minds about mental retardation, and increase opportunities for children and young people with disabilities.

"But this is more than just about helping children who are different," Paige said. "It's about helping ourselves and future generations appreciate how that difference enhances us as a society. President Bush has said he wants no child left behind. And we at the Department of Education look forward to working with everyone at Special Olympics to achieve that goal and a brighter future for millions of children."

Special Olympics began in 1968 when Eunice Kennedy Shriver organized the First International Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field in Chicago. The concept was born in the early 1960s when Shriver started a day camp for persons with mental retardation. She saw that individuals with mental retardation were far more capable in sports and physical activities than many experts thought. Since 1968, millions of children and adults with mental retardation have participated in Special Olympics.

Today, Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition to one million people with mental retardation in more than 150 countries. This year, more than 900 Team USA athletes will be competing in the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and more than 3,500 Special Olympics Team USA family members and friends are expected to travel to Ireland to support the athletes.

Before arriving in Ireland, Paige was in London to visit a primary school and meet with Charles Clarke, secretary of state for the Department of Education and Skills.

During their meeting, Paige and Clarke announced a commitment to plan a new program that will extend the coverage and scope of school partnerships between the United States and the United Kingdom. The aim of this new program is to ensure that any school in the United Kingdom or the United States that wants to establish a permanent partnership with a school in the United States or the United Kingdom can do so by building on the well-established framework of the American-British civics link. Specifically, the new program will encourage joint curriculum projects and teacher and student exchanges, and it will enable schools to be linked through modern technology.

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