Local author Ruth Spinelli seeks to represent disabled athletes

Coming hot off a successful run at this year’s Big Sky Area Winter Games — a local Special Olympics event — Bozeman author Ruth Spinelli is already looking for new ways to represent the disabled community.

As a person with a disability, Spinelli has a deep passion for the Bozeman Special Olympics program. She moved to Bozeman 12 years ago from Virginia and hasn’t looked back.

“When I was in Virginia, there was nothing. When I moved out here, I just loved it. I was like, ‘This is my family? I can’t believe that,’” Spinelli said. “People just love me, it’s like a totally big family — a humongous family.”

Spinelli explained how difficult working — and simply existing — can be for those facing disabilities discrimination.  

She gave an example from her previous job in Virginia at a doggy daycare. A coworker mixed up the dogs and a client received the wrong dog upon pick up. Spinelli was used as a scapegoat and ultimately fired for her coworker's mistake, according to her.

“Having a disability, when I was little, people would make fun of me,” she said. “When I was in Virginia, I had boyfriends who took advantage of me just because of my disability, which is not okay.”

Before moving to Bozeman, Spinelli attended King’s College in Pennsylvania, where she also faced struggles due to her disability.

“I didn’t get good grades and it was hard for me to study and make friends. The only thing I could do was play sports. I did field hockey and lacrosse,” Spinelli said.

After moving to Bozeman, Spinelli was able to continue playing sports through Special Olympics Montana.

“I have always wanted to be a professional athlete and Special Olympics makes that dream come true,” Spinelli said. “I wish I knew about Special Olympics when I was eight. I mean, I would have loved it.”

Spinelli's talents extend beyond athletics, as her lifelong passion is writing and storytelling. “When I was a kid, I would just write stories and write stories. I just loved it,” she said.

After Spinelli joined Special Olympics and met her coach Alean Skinner, she grew her writing skills and built the community she lacked in Virginia.

“One of my goals was to write a book and publish it. One of my coaches from my team, one of her goals was to write a book too,” Spinelli said. “So, we joined together and came up with some questions and then we took those questions and got [a survey] out to people.”

Spinelli and Skinner distributed their surveys to Special Olympians, coaches and family members. From the responses, their book, “Hearts and Souls of Special Olympics,” was born.

The book, published in 2021, uses survey responses to tell the stories of incredible individuals who experience disability, according to Spinelli. The proceeds from the book sales are donated to the Montana Special Olympics Foundation, she said.

After the publication of her first book, Spinelli began working on her second, which is still in progress. Using the same survey method, she is focusing on the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for the Special Olympics.

This international partnership allows law enforcement officers to help carry the Special Olympics Torch, hand out awards at events and get to know Olympians, according to the LETR website. 

According to Spinelli, she decided to collect and share LETR stories after attending a conference and learning that around 25 percent of athletes present at the conference had been trafficked in their lifetimes.

“Law enforcement, they do a lot for us,” Spinelli said. “So then that got me thinking — we need to write a book on athletes and officers, because the impact is just amazing.”

Though still in the process of writing her second book, Spinelli is already coming up with new ideas to bring more underrepresented stories to light. She is planning a third book about Eagle Mount, a local organization that provides recreational opportunities to those with disabilities, according to its website.

“Eagle Mount helps out with Special Olympics and there are stories that people need to know about. Volunteering there is just amazing,” Spinelli said. “They don’t really look at your disability. They just love you for who you are.”

Aside from her writing, Spinelli is also dedicated to giving back to the community in her role as the chief athlete advisor for the MSU Champions Club, a student-led Special Olympics club at MSU. This club allows students to connect with athletes and get involved with Special Olympics events, according to MSU’s website.

Ultimately, Spinelli is dedicated to bringing attention and positive representation to the disabled community.

“We are not just people with disabilities — we are people. We have minds and courage and things that we want to do,” she said.