Matthew Williams | TEDxVancouver
In a talk that garnered a tearful standing ovation, Matthew Williams demands equality and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities, told from the perspective of a Special Olympics athlete. Recorded at TEDxVancouver at Rogers Arena on November 14, 2015.
Matthew Williams is a firm believer in the power of sport to transform lives. He experienced it firsthand when he joined Special Olympics in the eighth grade. Williams has achieved a great deal in his decade with Special Olympics. He competed in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in basketball, where the first-ever Canadian basketball team to participate in a World Games finished fourth. He has also participated in track and field, swimming, floor hockey, and curling.
Now 23 years old, Matthew has become a Special Olympics International Sargent Shriver Global Messenger and a member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors, where he shares athletes’ perspectives with leaders of this global movement.