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My son is on the board of directors for Special Olympics Illinois and is autistic, he does play several sports. My wife is the head coach of our high school's unified track team and won the state championship last year. I have officiated a number of local SO contests. And two of my other sons have officiated various SO contests (flag football, basketball).
Working with Special Olympics is truly one of the most rewarding experiences. The fans are typically familiar with the nature of the participants and are a bit more laid back and less argumentative than your typical high school or even grade school game. The athletes are some of the happiest individuals on earth and in many cases, the officials are their idols!
It will exercise your teaching muscles more on the court.
Throw out all the arguments over the technicalities of the expected call after A1 throws a pass which ping-pongs off two fixtures, one in the backcourt and one in the front court before bouncing perfectly on the division line, ricocheting off the referee and bouncing on the 3pt arc before going into the wrong basket. You're going to have to feel good about giving a break to a 35-year-old who is trying his best to dribble the ball down the court but is technically traveling.
It's wholesome: You're going to see B1 box out his own teammates to gain a defensive rebound and give the ball back to A1 repeatedly so that he can get some points on the board, so that EVERYONE is included.
The officials that choose to volunteer their time to officiate Special Olympics are some very wonderful people.
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