Special Olympics Nigeria, in partnership with SeamlessHR, has launched a new training program tagged “Codeable” to empower vulnerable youth with and without intellectual disabilities with technology skills, increasing their access to opportunities that enhance independence.

Speaking during the launch event, Adeola Oladugba, Special Olympics Nigeria Sports manager, explained that the partnership was born out of the need to include the vulnerable youth, especially those with intellectual disabilities, in new possibilities and opportunities asides from sports that would enable them to acquire competitive skills as they grow older and get fair opportunities like everyone.

The partnership which is the first of its kind is set to train over a hundred youths in the next three years, through two cohorts yearly. The plan is to expand this initiative across the world and encourage other tech firms to embrace it, while we also offer internship placements to the best performing students at the end of the program, said Deji Lana, Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder of SeamlessHR.

Adetoun Akinsunmi Head of Customer Success, SeamlessHR, said as a tech company that has a long-standing record of servicing companies with technology. 

“The codeable initiative is a key step to empowering the right learning path and other skills such as coding, design thinking, product management, quality assurance coupled with some soft skills. It was a perfect opportunity to partner with Special Olympics Nigeria through their youth leadership programming to equip the youths with all-round skills that are relevant in the society” she said.

Emphasizing the benefit of the program, Ibiyemi Ayeni, Initiatives Manager, Special Olympics Nigeria stated that “the training goes beyond just technology but also deepens networking, growth, and inclusiveness in the society, advising participants to look beyond the immediate reward but get the best out of the program which will be embedded in them forever”

Special Olympics Nigeria is aimed at changing the misconceptions individuals have about people with intellectual disabilities through various sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic – type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities thus providing a platform where their abilities are celebrated in society.