I Love Special Olympics

Needs to harness all the power. 2.5 twists, full twist, front, perfect!

-Wow!

-Oh, fantastic!

-Unbelievable.

Has she done enough? Well, I tell you what,

she gave it everything she could give it there.

She claps the crowd,

but goodness me, they are giving you a standing ovation.

Incredible, and that opener, Christine, just out of this world.

-Superb.

-Whatever next? I mean it's just absolutely fantastic.

# I can tell that we are gonna be friends... #

Beth Tweddle is Britain's most successful gymnast and three-times world champion.

This year, she hopes to win her first Olympic medal.

Omar, who has Down's syndrome, is already a silver medallist,

thanks, in part, to Beth's help and inspiration.

Good, a lot better.

Because Beth has also coached for the Special Olympics.

He absolutely loves it. As soon as he got here, he's like, "What can I do?

"When can I start? How long are we training for?"

It's just that enthusiasm that inspires me.

The event that Omar competed in, the Special Olympics,

is almost unknown to the millions who will watch the 2012 Games.

When I got involved, I thought it was the Paralympics,

and I soon learned how big it is.

In America, it's bigger than the Paralympics.

For athletes who complete in the Special Olympics,

just taking part is an achievement in itself.

The Special Olympics.

Receiving the silver medal from Special Olympics Great Britain,

Hannah Dempsey!

The Special Olympics is for athletes with learning difficulties.

I'm going on a journey to discover just what it takes

to overcome those difficulties and compete on an international stage.

# I can tell that we are gonna be friends

# I can tell that we are gonna be friends. #

I've never met anyone with Down's syndrome

or talked to anyone with autism.

Over the next six months, I'm going to follow four competitors

as they prepare for the 2009 Special Olympics.

A world champion judo fighter who has autism

and is blind in the right eye.

# There is a house in New Orleans

# They call the Rising Sun... #

A 10-pin bowler who couldn't walk properly until he was nine.

Now he's hoping to strike gold in Leicester.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side of the road.

A basketball player who has Asperger's syndrome,

hates crowds, and finds it difficult to mix in a team.

When I'm sort of stressed and stuff, I normally lash out and hit walls

and I do different things.

Hannah Dempsey is a dancer who has Down's syndrome

and is performing in the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in front of 30,000 people.

So do you love dancing?

I do. Absolutely fantastic.

Because...I love dancing because it feels like I'm floating like a ballerina,

as Billy Elliot.

What dance moves do you think that you need to be better at?

Or the most difficult to do and you'd like to be better?

Now, that is a top question. I can answer that.

Sorry, I'm off the plot. Can I start again please?

-I liked that answer!

-Thank you!

With their health and the help of their family and friends, I'm going to tell their story.

I'd go absolutely nuts!

Hannah lives at home with her mum and dad.

For part of the week,

she lives and works with a touring dance company.

I spoke with Hannah's mum Lynne to find out about Hannah's extraordinary life.

She wasn't quite what we expected. When we had Hannah,

we had no idea we were having a child with Down's syndrome.

I'm blushing! I'm blushing!

I would say having a child with Down's syndrome was probably going to be my worst nightmare.

Well, the thing I'd like to change in my life

is that I'd like to be in a cinema

and on a newspaper a lot, every week,

and I want that to change

because I can change people's minds about me

because I want people to see me because I am famous.

Because they can't believe it, but they have to see it.

We accepted her and we loved her and she was great to be with,

but then we thought about what else, what there was out there for her?

And she was quite hard work.

We used to have police helicopters up there on a regular basis

because she used to get lost, or we thought she was lost -

she knew exactly where she was, but we thought she was lost.

Well, the best bit that I love my mum

is that she is the best main carer

and she's a brilliant star.

We didn't feel ashamed about her,

erm, but certainly I felt embarrassed when I used to take her...

I used to quite like having her in a hat when she was young,

and I had the hood of the pram up because of other people's embarrassment

and our own embarrassment,

so it was embarrassment rather than being ashamed of her.

And that's something that's definitely been a journey for me in particular,

going from being uncomfortable with having a child with Down's syndrome

to, you know, aren't we lucky, and look what she can do.

This is Jonathan. He's 42 and lives at home with his mother.

He and 17 of his friends are entering the Special Olympics national 10-pin bowling tournament.

But 42 years ago, things were very different.

I suppose when I first of all realised he'd got measles

I didn't think anything of it.

I'm a football fanatic, Man United supporter.

And it's not until you start to progress,

as they get a little bit older, and you realise, oh, my God,

he's a slow learner, he's not doing this,

he's not doing that and that's when it comes home to you.

Going to Leicester for a 10-pin bowling tournament.

Hopefully I will strike gold.

Went to the doctors, went to child psychiatrists,

and went to audio people for his hearing and everything else,

and it was everybody saying yes, your child...

He's poorly, he's disabled.

In those days they talked about people that were retarded.

That name to me is revulsion.

Well, I've got a problem though.

I can't spell properly.

I can read a bit, not much.

That's about it.

Well I think it's how you actually react to that.

My husband found it very, very, very difficult, believe me,

to convince Dad that he had disabled child.

What's the favourite thing that you love about your mum?

Good question, that.

Well, half and half really.

I do love her in certain ways.

When she starts to get a bit grumpy all the time, I don't.

She's a good mum, I respect that.

Jonathan was born a perfectly normal baby,

and I, unfortunately, forgot his pushchair when we went up to see Nanny Bates.

That's right, you gave me measles.

I didn't give you the measles

but I must admit I feel personally responsible for it

because I didn't take his pushchair

so I borrowed somebody's pushchair

and this lady never told me that her son was still in quarantine for measles.

And Jonathan got measles very badly, very badly.

It stopped him walking, seeing, speaking, the whole works.

And...which was devastating.

And he was saying Mama and Dada,

you know, and all of a sudden there was nothing coming through.

If I'd have taken Jonathan's pushchair up to my mother's,

Jonathan would have been a totally normal child

so I've had a big, big part to play... Excuse me.

I've had a very big part to play in his life,

and I suppose it's my repayment to him, really.

I was back off down the motorway to meet the next athlete.

He has autism, which affects the way he communicates

and relates to people around him.

Their conditions affect them in very different ways.

Some are able to live everyday lives,

whilst others require a lifetime of specialist support.

I met up with Ollie at his foster home

where he's lived for the past seven years.

Both Ollie and this foster brother James have excellent chances of getting medals at the Games.

I'm blind in my right eye, short-sighted in my left eye.

I've got learning difficulties,

erm, and I think that's it. I think so, yeah, that's it.

Oliver is on the low end of the autistic spectrum.

He was born very early and has been blind in his right eye since birth.

His learning difficulties, in lots of ways a lot of people wouldn't realise.

Oliver does have obsessions, yes. Some of them...

One obsession can be moving furniture about.

That is not his obsession but he will jump from one to another.

This last week it's been the Irish. God knows why.

I don't know, don't ask me, he might know, but it's been the Irish.

And then it's been Mount Everest, it's been Titanic,

and it's just something... He's just obsessed with them for a while

and then it will go away onto the next thing.

We've had more ups and downs with Oliver than we ever have with James.

James grew up with nothing.

Oliver, on the other hand, had everything money could buy

apart from the thing that he really wants and that's his mum.

And then one day when I was having home contact,

she came over and said, "Can I have a quick word, please?"

and I thought, "Oh, God, now what's going on?"

Have I been naughty or something? I hadn't, no!

It was breaking the news that they were going to Spain

and I thought of course mothers and fathers joke around, don't they,

having a laugh and I thought "You're joking, aren't you?"

And they said, "No, it's the truth, we're actually moving,"

and I just burst into tears.

It was like my whole life collapsed because I thought, "Oh, my God, what are they doing?"

It's like the worst mistake they've made in their life.

They're moving, like, 5,000, 2,000 miles away from me

and it's like how am I going to cope?

Hannah works as a professional dancer.

I travelled up to Banbury with her and her carer to see her in action.

We gave her a camera so she could film her journey.

The dance company is called Anjali,

which in Sanskrit means joining of hands.

The unique thing about Anjali is that all the dancers have learning difficulties.

I didn't know what to expect,

as it was the first time I would have seen Hannah perform

and interact with other people with learning difficulties.

Anjali had been asked to perform in the Opening Ceremony at the Special Olympics.

The performance will focus on Hannah's solo dance called The Divine Splashette.

We are the first kind of people in Oxfordshire

of a dance company,

of learning with disability people.

With the... It's by, if I can say it,

synchronised swimming,

and all the swimming movements into it, into the solo.

It feels really cool, like a cool dude really.

Because I'm trying to look really big, like, really cool,

that's what I'm trying to do.

When Hannah completed as a swimmer in the last Special Olympics,

she won a gold medal.

She uses this for the inspiration for her dance.

It was clear that Hannah had the talent,

although I was wondering whether or not she would have the confidence

to perform in a stadium in front of 30,000 people.

How I feel about the performance, it sounds very exciting

because all the audience clapping away, laughing away.

How do think you're going to feel when the audience starts clapping?

I'd go absolutely nuts!

I just, like, focus on what I'm doing, concentrating.

All the audience thinks, "Oh, my Lord, what is that girl doing?"

I've never seen her dance before in that setting,

and certainly not on stage in front of so many people,

and she was fantastic.

And you suddenly see your daughter through different eyes

because I didn't realise she was capable of doing it so well.

I was invited to see Hannah perform,

but this time it was in front of an audience.

Hannah also dances with a company called Magpie

which reaches out to anyone who wants to dance

and focuses on ability rather than disability.

I was on the road again,

travelling to meet the final athlete in my story.

He has Asperger's syndrome,

which is a form of autism that affects how a person makes sense of the world,

processes information and relates to other people.

Asperger's syndrome is a mostly hidden disability,

which means you can't tell from their outward appearance that they have it.

This is Tom. He is 14 and lives at home with his mum and dad.

He was in training for the Special Olympics basketball tournament,

but only a short time ago this would have never seemed possible.

Tom developed as normal.

He spoke, he walked, all at the right milestones,

but when he went to school there were difficulties beginning to set in,

socially, and achieving,

and being part of groups and things like that, but it came to a head

when he was about seven. I think, his behaviour deteriorated,

and by the last year at primary school he was on the verge of being excluded with no support

because they wouldn't believe us that we thought there was something going on.

My dyslexia is all right because I'm not too bad on that.

My autism is like how I react with people, like, sort of winding me up.

I get annoyed with myself so I react to them instead of just walking off.

And then eventually we got that sorted out

and he's gone from hating school to loving school.

He now takes part in Special Olympics, and he goes to a youth club.

He's been out a few times with friends from school which he'd never dream of doing.

He has sleepovers now so normal teenager stuff is creeping in.

Yeah, is beginning to creep in, yeah.

How does playing basketball make you feel?

It makes me feel good and I'm proud of doing it.

It's something that I'm good at. People say I'm good at it.

It just makes me feel like er... helpful, really, like to the team and stuff.

He had no understanding, it was the ball, "I've got it, no one else is here.

"I'm playing on my own."

He used to go up and down the court all the time,

he had no perception of everyone else.

And also, if they didn't pass it to him, he would automatically lose interest and walk off

and not play any more because they weren't passing him the ball

so things have changed since then.

Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah.

Having autism, it's annoying

because I don't feel like I'm mixing with other people as well as other people can.

It's hard.

It's like I wish I could mix in with different people.

I fought to get him into a special school

because I took Jonathan out of school when he was six

because he was being bullied, and I kept him at home for nine months.

I was threatened with imprisonment by the education.

The Tonight programme of the BBC, Tony Salmon -

I shall never forget his name -

came onto the scene and I said to him - because I was in quite an influential position in London -

so I knew these sort of people, and I said, "I've got a story for you."

I told him the story, he said, "I like it,

I said, "Yes, you will do because it's my son."

Well, she does...she does... she does make me happy.

She puts me on the straight and narrow.

Then things really started to work for him.

He went to a special school,

because there he was with all like-minded other students.

And Jonathan stayed there till he was 19.

He left behind all his friends.

When he did come home,

he knew he had to have a job.

I knew there was a Tesco's

being built in New Malden, and I rang the personnel officer.

He walked in to this lady and said, "I want a job",

and he came out with a job.

And 21 years later, he's still there.

Then, what happened, he was working with 900 people.

And he became very lonely - he'd left all his mates behind.

And Jonathan took to the drink.

And he took to the drink big time.

My husband and I would stop going out.

We rather isolated ourselves, because of Jonathan.

We thought if we went out,

we'd come back, and Jonathan would be drunk.

So when did you go off the straight and narrow?

A long time ago.

Did she put you back on it?

No, she didn't. I did it for myself.

How did you get back on the straight and narrow?

Keep off the drink.

I had a drinking problem,

a couple of years back.

We decided we couldn't live our lives like that.

I'd done everything for Jonathan

to put him on a path that I thought was the right path -

and he was definitely walking the path really well.

And then we went out for one night,

and came back, and Jonathan was absolutely paralytic,

on the floor.

I got so annoyed, because all the work I'd done with Jonathan,

I thought, "This is one problem I cannot cope with",

cos I was much too close to it.

so I called in the learning disability team of the borough,

and they were fantastic - absolutely fantastic.

How could you have had a drinking problem?

Cos I had no friends, no girlfriend.

It got to me quite a lot.

So Christmas , 1993, we wrote Jonathan's story, didn't we?

Yeah, you did.

And we printed Jonathan's story in the local paper.

And the story was

that Jonathan was lonely, Jonathan wanted friends -

who wants to come along and be Jonathan's friend?

We had the first 11 people, didn't we?

Came knocking on the door, which was brilliant.

It was as though

a great big weight had been lifted off our shoulders.

It was off mine, because I was now realising

that Jonathan, all of a sudden, will have these friends.

And it helped him come through

the unfortunate parts of his life.

But now, at 42,

I'm a proud mother.

Really proud mother. Which is great, which is lovely.

-We've been through some rocky times, haven't we?

-Yes.

When we lost Dad, seven years ago,

-it was a traumatic time for you, wasn't it?

-Yeah, it was.

But we've walked through that,

and now he's walking towards independence,

which will be in three months' time.

Now, I'm fine as a fiddle.

If it didn't exist, we didn't have any friends.

We wouldn't have any dancing.

So we have just a normal

other thing in other life.

What do you think you'd be doing?

Well, I'd be still stuck in Sainsbury's!

HE LAUGHS

Well, the new things

in Anjali

are contemporary and rap.

So that's what you want to learn?

I do. That's what I want to learn big time, mate.

Oh, she's achieved my dreams.

Just seeing her dance.

I never would have dreamt,

21 years after her birth, that we would be where we are now with her.

She's achieved all my dreams,

and more, and more, and more, and more, and more.

The skills Anjali gave me

is being famous, and being glamorous,

and I'm not actually graceful,

cos I am very, very strong.

And I just get on with it,

focus on what I'm doing -

just do it.

I don't care - I just do it, perfect.

That's that sorted,

then back to my father. He's brilliant,

and he takes me to Millwall.

He takes me to the Chinese restaurant.

He takes me everywhere.

And he's a fantastic lad.

He's very gentle and calm with me.

But he doesn't argue with me,

but he does argue with Mum,

but not with me,

cos he doesn't seem to moan at me,

so that's the other thing that I really love,

cos he's a really nice lad.

I love him so much.

THEY LAUGH

My solo

is looking very well.

Sometimes Nicole can be a bit over the top,

because they'll want to change

a little bit around, which I'm not actually that keen on,

cos I'll get really confused.

I thought, "What the hell?"

I asked to know what I'm doing.

Apart from that, it's all fine, really.

We love to dance, and love to move.

That's what Anjali is.

This is Nick. He is one of Hannah's best friends,

and one of the most intriguing people in the group.

Their friendship will give me an insight

into how Hannah interacts with people.

Do you think that we should

go through it in Leicester?

Yes, we can go from the bottom

of our bottoms!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Why's that?

Because we are very good dancers.

All dancers are brilliant.

We're going to make it happen.

What are we?

We're doing the Olympics!

MUSIC: "Happiness" by Twirl

# It's the sun pouring down And it's kisses full of rapture. #

How dancing makes you feel?

Being a dancer...?

I love moving around, stretching.

Mainly, I empathise a lot.

Because it helps with my dancing,

and of course when I dance,

I dance sexy,

because I want to.

# It's a beautiful day

# La-la-la - it's a beautiful day

# Happiness. #

She's got a filthy laugh that always gets other people laughing as well.

My mother used to say, "You can tell when Hannah is in the room,

"Because people are smiling".

And I think that's still the case with Hannah.

SHE LAUGHS

What is your earliest memory?

The only thing that pops in my head

is when I was seven, and my dad died.

That's the only thing that pops in my head.

I didn't really talk to him about it - he was an alcoholic, anyway.

He came back from... Like I say, he was an alcoholic anyway,

and he went out drinking - went on trips, and that.

He got out the coach - he obviously had too much to drink,

like an alcoholic would do.

He stumbled across the road, fell down,

like they would do anywhere,

and he smacked his head - I'm not quite sure where -

and had a brain haemorrhage. He went into hospital the next day and died.

It's not good, and I've learnt from that.

I'm perfectly fine about it now.

When I was a little kid, I was devastated.

It was like, "Oh, my God - I've lost my only one dad".

You don't get another day, here and then, when you get another chance

to have another dad.

And it was just horrible.

It left me stranded in some sort of field.

It wasn't good at all. The experience was horrible.

What do you mean, it left you stranded?

It was like I didn't know where I was.

I only had my mum there beside me.

She was having drugs at the same time, as well -

to try and control herself.

Of course, I was on a lot of medication, as well.

That, of course, made it worse.

And then she couldn't cope with me.

Then I went into a children's home in Kent

and they took me off the drugs straight away -

it was quite good.

I was there for around

two or three months, probably,

and went to-and-fro, back to home, there and everywhere.

and I've had more support

from when I was a little kid.

Ever since I was three, I've been in foster care.

It's been quite good from then on.

I don't have a bad relationship with him.

Perhaps that's the easy...

Because he hasn't got his own father,

it's easy for him to look on me as a father.

Easier than it is for Janet, cos he still has his own mother.

Yeah, at the moment, things are a little bit fraught.

I call Mick, "Dad",

and I've forgotten Mum lives over in Spain.

Perfectly fine, not caring about me all.

So I call Janet, "Janet".

I find it a little bit harsh sometimes, now and then,

that Janet does everything for me.

Everything that my mother doesn't call me,

that does for me.

I can call her, "Janet",

but I can call my mother, who does nothing for me at all, "Mother".

It just seems

quite horrible sometimes.

So how do you get on with Olly?

Sometimes OK.

What are the times you don't get on? Why would you not get on?

When he's...

..erm,

horrible to my mum and dad.

When he don't get his own way.

What does he do when he's horrible?

Slams doors, puts his fist through doors.

Breaks things.

How does that make you feel?

Upsetting to my mum and dad.

Do you think you could control your anger?

Erm...

..I suppose I can.

At home, it's a totally different story altogether.

When I'm on the mat, it's nice and controlled and calm.

I respect everybody out there who I'm fighting,

even the players I fight.

Coaches, and everyone else.

When I'm at home, it's a totally different story altogether.

I don't know why, but that's how it is.

I can sometimes control my temper,

but when people argue with me, I always have to have the last say.

And that's not good.

HE LAUGHS

It's not the easiest thing, and God knows how people

really deal with children on the higher end of the autistic scale.

It must be extremely difficult.

You must need the patience of I don't know what.

Really difficult.

A lot of the time, I don't think he quite realises what he's doing.

I mouth back Janet and Dad,

and that's not very good at all,

as they're taking me to the Games,

and they've spent a lot of money on the Games - travelling up there -

on hotels, and that.

I've done physical violence to Janet.

-It's not very good, I know.

-HE LAUGHS

I've done all that lot, as well.

They look after me so much,

and they've looked after me for seven years, nearly.

And I treat them like that.

How can I do something like that?

I suppose because, like most people...

..you can hurt those that you love the most.

It's just a bad whole state to be in.

I'm perfectly fine at school.

People ask me to do something - "Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

"Yes, madam, I'll do that for you".

But when I'm at home, it's a totally different story altogether.

It's not good. So I need to try and sort it out.

Olly is a product of a broken home.

What makes this even sadder is that his mother will not consent

to him being adopted.

For someone with autism, who needs routine, structure,

and to know what is happening next,

this must be especially difficult for him.

He has experienced a lot for such a young man.

I bear this in mind when I listen to his story.

Sue left Jonathan for a week's trial separation,

to see how he's cope with living independently.

I decided to visit him halfway through the week.

After my visit, I immediately had to call Sue.

'Jonathan didn't answer the door to me - it was his new housemate, PJ.

'We set up in the back room, and started the interview.

'It was soon apparent that this wasn't

'the happy Jonathan I'd seen in the past,

'so I asked some warm-up questions to get him relaxed.

'But at this, I still seemed to be failing.'

OK, Jonathan, you've got to look at me now.

Yeah? Look at me.

Don't worry about the camera.

You're focused on that - forget all that stuff, OK?

Talk to me.

'I was finding it very hard to engage Jonathan.

'He didn't seem in a good place,

'and I was worried.'

What do you most love about life?

I don't.

Life is not easy.

So what don't you like about life?

I don't know. I don't like it.

Because all the things...

Bad things happen.

What bad things have happened, then?

People getting killed.

So there's nothing you love about life?

I do. When I'm...

happy.

That's about it.

Enough questions.

'And that was that.

'When we finished the interview and turned off the lights,

'Jonathan seemed to come back to life.

'He said that whilst the lights were on,

'he could hear people screaming and shouting in his head.

'And when we turned them off, they went.

'Mindful of Jonathan's mental health,

'I didn't want to put him through a process

'which would set him back in any way.

'I needed to speak with Sue,

'to find out if Jonathan could continue filming.'

# La, la, la... #

That's it, you're forming it.

'I met up with Sue and Jonathan at his weekly singing lesson,

'hoping to see the old Jonathan back.

'It was a make-or-break meeting.'

When I came home,

I felt as though something was slightly wrong,

because Jonathan wasn't himself.

I thought the whole thing of the whole week -

his pattern was totally out of synch.

And Jonathan does like a very structured week.

And if he's thrown off that structure,

he does get quite upset about it.

What was actually happening with the lights, cos it was affecting him?

How was that actually affecting...?

Yeah - you told me it was affecting you,

cos... People arguing?

-In my head, yeah.

-In your head?

It was weird.

It was weird, wasn't it?

Was it like shouting and stuff like that?

Yeah, something like that.

Very weird - he told me as soon as I came back.

Because you don't like arguing, do you?

-You don't like arguing, do you?

-That's true.

He doesn't like that at all.

That was the reaction he got from the lights.

Which was a very strange reaction.

-I'm a gentle person.

-You're a gentle person.

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning?

'We got to the bottom of Jonathan's problem.

'While his mother was away, his routine was broken,

'and his Playstation stopped working.

'These seemingly small events pushed Jonathan into a dark place.

'Fixing his Playstation was the first step to his recovery.

'So Jonathan agreed to continue filming.'

# Everything's going my way. #

Well done.

'I was back in Banbury,

'and tonight I was going to see Hannah dance with Anjali

'in a gala performance.

'It would be her last opportunity to perform in front of an audience

'before the National Games.

'I arrived early and waited at the side of the stage.

'There seemed to be a nervous atmosphere,

'as a lot rode on this performance.

'Hannah was put outside to regain her composure.

'All I could do was take my seat.

COUNTRYSIDE SOUND EFFECTS

MUSIC: "Theme From A Summer Place" by the Percy Faith Orchestra

APPLAUSE

What I'm really pleased about now is I didn't have any test,

because what would I have done?

Whatever I'd have chosen would have been both right and wrong,

and what these tests can't do

is tell you the degree of problems the child is going to have.

So I'm pleased I didn't know that Hannah had Down's syndrome.

because I don't know what I would have done,

and wouldn't our lives have been different?

'I met up with Hannah at her weekly cookery class,

'which she takes so she can be more independent.

'This was the last time I would see Hannah before the Games,

'and it was one of the happiest times we spent together.

'Everyone in the class was really excited about seeing us film.'

Today, we're cooking.

Why is it important for you to learn to cook?

I'd like to be on telly, that's why.

I was doing this for my mum and dad, really.

It looks silly - girly.

MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH

HE LAUGHS

Hello!

I love you, darling!

It's all right - I like being filmed

from you two, cos you're a good mate of mine.

You're wonderful,

you're attractive blokes.

And then you are fantastic.

-Aw, thanks, mate!

-That's all right.

THEY LAUGH

THEY LAUGH

MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH

I can't even think of any questions now.

The final, ultimate goal

is to always make your child

independent.

He has the right person moving in with him into the home,

into my home.

And I think it's going to work.

He can't wait for me to go, so he says.

But it'll be interesting to see.

The first two or three months will be very strange for both the boys.

Um...am I excited about moving in?

Erm...obviously, I'm a bit nervous

cos it's the first time I'd done it.

But then, it feels like it's the right time to move in in my...

..in my life.

I can show you 42-year-old men

that are still with their families,

where the parents are doing absolutely everything for them.

How do they expect these people to react when anything happens to them?

These people are in their senior years.

You could be talking 75, 80 years of age.

How are they going to cope?

Do they want their children to go into council residential care?

I bet you 100%, everybody would say no.

If the answer's no, they have to do something about it.

Things that Tom finds difficult -

being in a large group where he has to be stayed.

If he can wander off and come back when he feels uncomfortable,

he can deal with that.

How does it feel to be in a big group of people?

Scary and nervous.

It makes me feel uncomfortable, being in big groups,

and people.

Small groups, I can cope with.

So this is quite a big achievement for you, playing basketball,

and in Leicester, you will be surrounded by lots of people.

Hm. It's going to be difficult.

Is that going to be the most difficult part of it for you,

rather than playing?

Mm, yeah.

People watching, as well.

Yeah.

It was the morning of the opening ceremony, and I travelled up

with the bowling team from London to Leicester.

The mood was high, and it continued that way

for the rest of the journey.

CHEERING

What are you most looking forward to about Leicester?

Taking 17 athletes

up to have the time of their life.

Simple as that.

ALL: Leicester! Leicester! Leicester! Leicester!

The first to arrive was Hannah.

She walked me around the stadium, filming and directing as we went.

Wow - look at that view!

That's amazing!

Check it out!

Need to go to the dressing room, guys - this way.

Sweet!

As I walked down the tunnel, I started to feel nervous for Hannah,

nerves which were not shown in her.

The stadium felt overpowering when empty.

Imagine how it would feel when it was full.

MUFFLED CONVERSATION

APPLAUSE

And it is time to fulfil my destiny.

And my heart.

A dream's come true.

And all that remained was for Hannah to open the ceremony.

APPLAUSE

We saw you before you were going out,

and you were whispering stuff to yourself.

-I did.

-What were you saying?

I was saying that I can do it.

I am a star,

and also, I'm a dancer and an athlete.

MUSIC: "Theme From A Summer Place" by the Percy Faith Orchestra

How did you think it went tonight, then?

Fantastic!

How did it feel to perform in front of 26,000 people?

I feel...

..I feel excellent.

I was really going for it,

and I have so many talents.

MUSIC: "Theme From A Summer Place" by the Percy Faith Orchestra

I can't believe it.

I was so, so sexy.

I was doing this, and that - huh!

APPLAUSE

WHOOPING AND CHEERING

Tom! Tom! Tom! I love you! I love you!

I love you, Tom!

-Hi!

-We meet again!

Don't let it hold you back, really.

It's not all doom and gloom.

It doesn't have to be - it's what you make of it.

CHEERING

People are either scared or are very unsure

of people with learning disabilities,

purely through not understanding their needs,

and not treating people as normal people.

They are normal people, but they've just got a disability of some sort.

But it's coping with reactions and that that's very difficult.

And it's not a seen disability,

it's not like a physical disability that we can all see

and we understand that.

But when it's a learning disability and everyone looks the same,

it's difficult to know how to react to people.

You don't know whether they're playing up

or whether it's part of a disability that they have.

Tom nearly fulfilled his dream by winning a silver medal,

but he vows to return next time and win gold.

Out of all of the athletes in my film,

I wanted Jonathan to succeed the most.

Because I knew winning would lift his mood,

and I didn't want to see him in that dark place again.

That's the one.

The boys are on fire.

Jonathan is bowling out of his tiny mind.

It's strike, strike, spares.

You can see the emotion coming through from Jonathan today.

I've never seen him so happy,

but whatever it is, he's recaptured the Jonathan that his mum knows

here at the National Games, which is absolutely wonderful.

I just can't believe it. His dad would be over the moon if he saw him

because he just loved bowling.

You did good. Do you think you won it?

You're not sure, are you?

Cross my heart...

..hope on my...

You had a 200 game yesterday, didn't you?

Right, now, I've got a secret to tell you. Right?

I've found out from the organisers that you won

the singles yesterday.

-No!

-I've just found out you've got a gold medal.

Yes!

Yeah, shall we go and tell Mum? Come on, then.

How do we feel?

-Oh.

-Who'd be proud of this moment, up there?

My dad would be looking down and crying over me.

He would be crying over you, you're absolutely right.

APPLAUSE

Great.

I'm not even crying. That's a miracle.

History in the making, big time.

How did you feel when you were standing on the podium?

Oh, number one, definitely.

Is there anything you'd like to say?

Yeah.

A message to the world - I've got it, you ain't going to stop me.

Seeing Ollie on the judo mat was an awesome experience.

It was easy to see why he was world champion.

I just wished he could keep his aggression within his sport,

where he clearly has control.

As predicted, Ollie won gold, and James took silver.

There's a real sadness to Ollie's story that I hadn't anticipated.

Ollie has given me a special insight into how people can be affected

by learning difficulties.

He has autism but functions very well,

so it is easy to forget that he has a disability at all.

It is only when I spoke to Ollie for long periods of time

I learnt that not everything I said, he understood.

It doesn't take a PhD to work out

that Ollie's past is clearly affecting his present.

The mixed feelings of resentment he has for his biological mother,

he inflicts on his foster mother, Janet.

I hope the professional therapy he's receiving helps him fast.

Before it's too late,

and relationships become too damaged to mend.

I have witnessed a gentler side to Ollie,

a side which he can be proud of.

I just feel pretty stupid about the stuff I do

because underneath all of it, I know that I am a nice person.

I do treat people with respect, um,

I can talk nicely, stop mouthing back and that lot.

It's just one of those things I really need to try and sort out.

I like everything about my life.

I've been on the TV, on the news,

um, on the radio, everywhere.

What you've got to also know is that

Hannah thinks she's incredibly lucky having Down's syndrome.

And if you said to Hannah, would you not like to have Down's syndrome?

She would say no, she thinks she's very, very special.

And she's got short legs as well, she says,

so she's got to have Down's syndrome.

It feels great filming me,

because it feels like I am a super star,

and a Down's syndrome star.

So, you want to be a Down's syndrome superstar?

Yes, really, I do.

He or she would have been given a gift,

and that gift takes a little time to mature itself,

but never give up on a disabled kid, you can't,

because they are part of you,

and you're going to be holding their hands for a long, long time.

But every so often, just let go a little.

And then when you actually have to eventually let go,

you let go with confidence.

Because one day, you, me, all of us, are not going to be here,

so we have to make sure that our children are, in actual fact,

ready to walk the path on their own.

But never give up on them.

It's basic.

After filming, Jonathan's mother told me it was hard for people

with learning difficulties to allow strangers like me into their world.

In the last six months of getting to know these guys,

I now realise what a privileged journey I've been on.

8,000 people in the UK are currently part of the Special Olympics,

and for 48 weeks a year, they are trained by people like Beth

and professional coaches,

giving them feelings of happiness, belonging, control, and fame.

So, you know what? I do love the Special Olympics.

# Somewhere over the rainbow

# Way up high

# And the dreams

# That you dreamed of once in a lullaby

# Oh, somewhere over the rainbow

# Bluebirds fly

# And the dreams that you dream of

# Dreams really do come true

# Somewhere over the rainbow...#

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd