Healthy Community: A Recognized Innovation Promoting Inclusion

Healthy Community: A Recognized Innovation Promoting Inclusion

54 clinical activities. 15 conferences. 3,931 athlete participants. 1,399 students. 127 professionals.

In 2025–2026, Healthy Community, an initiative of Special Olympics Québec, continued its mission to help make health services more accessible and inclusive for people living with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In total, 1,170 athletes from Special Olympics Québec’s community clubs and school network participated in the activities.

The clinics covered six areas: dentistry, physical therapy, general health, optometry, and “Training Through Unified Sports®.”

The provincial games in Granby, as well as the Unified Events in Saguenay and Montreal, made it possible to offer more than 2,074 screenings in dentistry, physical therapy, holistic health, optometry, and podiatry.

Training the Next Generation to Transform Practices

Students in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, nursing, special education, physical education, optometry, and podiatry had the opportunity to meet and provide hands-on support to people living with an intellectual disability or ASD. A total of 1,399 students and more than 33 higher education partners participated in these activities.

The goal is to enable these future professionals to place the inclusion of Quebecers with autism or living with autism at the heart of their professional practice.

Provincial recognition:

This innovative approach was recognized in 2025 with the Jean-Paul Marsan Emerging Hippocrates Award.

While this recognition highlights a single initiative, it belongs above all to an entire community: athletes, families, students, teachers, professionals, partners, and the Special Olympics Québec team.