When Fabricio first walked through the doors of an English institute in Mendoza, Argentina, he was searching for one thing: a way to improve his language skills. He never imagined that the scholarship he received, one that required community service, would ignite a life-changing journey through Special Olympics.
Back in 2015, his only requirement was to give back. The English institute worked with a foundation called Tremo Kawell, which in turn partnered with Special Olympics. That connection introduced Fabricio to a world he barely knew existed, a community of people with intellectual disabilities, and it would transform the way he saw the world, others, and himself.
“Inclusion doesn’t just happen,” he said. “It needs the moment. The meeting. The opportunity.”
At first, volunteering felt like unfamiliar territory.
“I had very little knowledge about disability,” Fabricio said. “I started with a lot of myths thinking people with intellectual disabilities couldn’t do certain things, that I had to protect them. But what I found was the complete opposite.”
Unified Sports helped break those myths. Playing bocce alongside athletes, Fabricio quickly realized he wasn’t the one teaching, he was being taught.
“They were the ones who showed me how to play,” he says. “They had fun, they were competitive, they had friends, and they experienced frustration and joy just like anyone else.”
The shift was everything. Fabricio began to see inclusion not as an abstract idea but as something that only exists when people make time for genuine connection. “Inclusion doesn’t just happen,” he said. “It needs the moment. The meeting. The opportunity.”
That opportunity would go on to define Fabricio’s path. As he deepened his involvement with Special Olympics, he found himself propelled by curiosity and driven by a desire to understand and dismantle the barriers that keep people with intellectual disabilities from fully participating in society.
“The more I learned, the more I wanted to understand, why can’t people with intellectual disabilities be included?” he said.
Fabricio began mentoring others, including Pablo, a fellow leader within the movement. Their friendship has been a source of joy and growth. “Pablo has so much to give,” Fabricio said. “And he just needed the opportunity to show it.”
For Fabricio, Pablo’s journey is proof of what happens when inclusion is intentional. “Opportunities are the door,” Fabricio said. “They allow people with intellectual disabilities to fully enter the world where they can be heard, where they can make mistakes, and where they can shine.”
“The more I learned, the more I wanted to understand, why can’t people with intellectual disabilities be included?”
And shine Pablo has. With each opportunity, from leadership roles to public speaking, he’s grown in confidence, capability, and presence. “Special Olympics gave Pablo the space to be himself,” Fabricio said, “and I got to witness that. I got to learn from that.”
But it wasn’t just Pablo who changed. Fabricio, too, was transformed by the relationships he formed. “I’ve met people I admire so deeply,” he says. “People like Mariana, whose discipline inspires me. Rodri, whose joy is infectious. And Pablo, who’s become a true friend.”
This network of friendships and shared purpose has reshaped Fabricio’s life. He even changed his career path in response to what he learned through Special Olympics, leaving one degree program behind in order to focus on social inclusion full time. “I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to something that felt like justice,” he said. “And Special Olympics felt like that.”
Today, Fabricio continues to give, learn, and grow.
“Just start with a conversation. Approach someone. Get to know them. You don’t need to have all the answers, just be open to learning. Inclusion doesn’t happen instantly. It’s something we build, together.”
