Omar Al Shami proudly represented his country, the United Arab Emirates, at the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, and achieved a gold medal in the swimming competition.In addition, Omar was elected by his fellow Athlete Leaders to represent Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa as the Vice President of the Regional Athlete Leadership Input Council."When Omar was a child, I was advised that people with Down syndrome can only learn one language, so I applied to every single Arabic school I could find. But God knew Omar can achieve more. He was accepted to his sisters' American school and ended up fluent in two languages: English & Arabic!," she said.Omar is also a member of Special Olympics UAE's Unified Youth Council, a Health Messenger advocating for swimming and fitness, works with the Unified Schools program, and speaks at various large-scale events.Omar's mother, Rula al Shami, was an early pioneer in parenting that empowers all abilities.She encourages parents to recognize all abilities of their children and embrace inclusion.I get lots of questions about Omar, and I just try to convince people to give people with intellectual disabilities a chance.Because, in the end, we are all the same.