This Club Is Fighting To End The Stigmas People With Disabilities Face

Maya Alvarez’s life changed 10 years ago. 

When she was in the eighth grade at Arthur and Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts, Alvarez suffered stomach pains that led to her being hospitalized and eventually homebound during her high school career. 

After years of suffering, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2019. The condition causes abdominal swelling that can result in diarrhea, fatigue and malnutrition. 

Her struggles, as well as the bullying she received because of the condition, led the 17-year-old to have empathy for the hardships students with disabilities face. 

Now a first-year Honors College student at Homestead Campus, Alvarez is using her story to inspire others through Special Smiles—a club she created to end the stigma associated with disabilities. 

“I know the challenges of being alone,” said Alvarez, who is studying mass communications. “I wanted to teach everyone the meaning of inclusion, spread awareness and make our campuses inclusive environments where everybody feels accepted.”

The idea for the club bloomed last semester when Alvarez and two of her friends, Mayra Moreno and Yoseline Mendoza, searched for community service opportunities for their Honors Leadership Seminar class. 

After volunteering at NEVA King Cooper Educational Center—a school for students with disabilities where Alvarez’s mom, Jodi English, has been assistant principal since 2021, the trio decided to launch Special Smiles this semester. 

“We live in a society where a lot of people are not included,” said Moreno, a first-year pre-nursing student who serves as one of the club’s three co-presidents. “I wanted to make a change in our community.”

The club, which started with 10 students, has grown to 44 active members. Meetings take place the first Monday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 205 in building G. 

Special Smiles has participated in community service events at the NEVA King Cooper Educational Center such as the Sunshine Corvette Club’s annual holiday—a field day event in which club members set up games, deliver snacks and greet guests. 

On campus, the club has led initiatives to spread awareness of the disabled community. Last month, they hosted a week-long inclusion campaign with in-person presentations and campus parades. 

The club also partnered with Special Olympics—a non-profit that strives to provide athletic opportunities for people with disabilities—to create a unified soccer team at Homestead Campus that integrates students with and without disabilities. 

Known as the MDC Sharks, the team consists of 10 players and three coaches, which includes Alvarez’s father, Eduardo. To join, students need to be at least 16 years old and complete a background check. Membership is not limited to MDC students. 

The team meets every Friday at a park near Alvarez’s house to stretch, exercise and participate in team-bonding activities like playing scrimmages, doing 2-on-2 drills and playing soccer matches.

For students like Kevin Torres, the team is an opportunity to connect with advocates or members of the disabled community. 

“It’s a really amazing experience coming every Friday to practice with them and seeing them smile,” said Torres, a first-year computer engineering student whose uncle has Down Syndrome. “This is an opportunity that makes you see how [people with disabilities] should be appreciated.”

This month, the team participated in the ESPN Unified Championship Week—an initiative in which multiple universities promoted inclusive activities, parades, and sports challenges through social media. 

During the Special Olympics Annual Summer Games on April 15, the team’s two victories and a tie earned them a match in mid-May that will determine if they will compete at the state level. 

Currently, the team only plays soccer, but they hope to include other sports like flag football or corn hole next fall semester. 

To join or obtain more information about Special Smiles, email Alvarez at maya.alvarez001@mymdc.net or visit the club’s Sharknet page at https://bit.ly/41n97yi.

“We’re here to create bonds and lifelong friendships,” Alvarez said. “Our main goal is to…show that disabilities can be abilities. They’re not something that is holding anybody back.”

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