Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to five million athletes in 190 countries. It is one of the greatest success stories of the times.

So it is with great relief that President Donald Trump has said he is reversing a request to eliminate funding for the Special Olympics in the US. What is disturbing is that his remarks were prompted a day after a proposed $17.6 million cut to the organization, about 10 percent of Special Olympics’ overall revenue.

US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had been under fire since her budget proposal introduced the cut. Before Trump overrode her proposed cut, DeVos said that while she personally supported the Special Olympics and its mission, the federal government “cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations”.

DeVos is arguing that because of funding from philanthropic donors, Special Olympics does not need financial backing from the government. That is a dismissal of the importance of programs like Special Olympics. It shows an obvious misunderstanding or worse of the societal benefits of programs that support individuals with special needs.

The Trump administration was about to make a mistake for the ages by completely eliminating funding for Special Olympics, almost $18 million in all – a drop in the ocean, but such a valuable drop. It would have defunded the most visible and recognizable symbol of inclusion for those with intellectual disabilities not just in the US but around the world.

Just because SO gets a lot of money from donations doesn’t mean the US government no longer needs to help out. The 51-year-old Special Olympics program, which offers programming in schools in addition to sports competitions and training for intellectually disabled athletes, has become an accessible and familiar face of disability. It is widely beloved for the services it provides to the disability community. Trying to cut contributions to this private organization is cruel.

Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver to end this age-old fear of children who are different and replace it with a much more inclusive worldview. The world has become attached to Shriver’s magnificent idea of giving those with intellectual disabilities the chance to train and compete in sports, while at the same time teaching everyone else about the fight against intolerance, exclusion and bullying.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about the remarkable message of acceptance that Special Olympics carries around the world, including at the just-completed World Games in Abu Dhabi. The idea is to use sport as a catalyst for social inclusion. This combination of activities can reduce bullying, teasing and intolerance, to overcome the fear of being different.

Special Olympics benefits society as a whole. Volunteers are forever changed for the better after working with Special Olympics participants. They walk away from the experience with a new appreciation for inclusion, empathy and tolerance. And these experiences carry over into their daily lives, allowing them to see people with intellectual disabilities as a little less disabled and a little more like themselves.

The Special Olympics World Games are held every two years. However, Special Olympics provides year-round training, health education, community building and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. More than 270,000 children in the US would have been hurt by a financial slash to Special Olympics.

The US administration, thanks to a myopic vision of a Trump cabinet member, and an appalling lack of understanding about the value of inspiration and courage, was close to inflicting a huge loss upon those with intellectual disabilities that have been hidden away by the rest of society.

If DeVos realized the impact of the Special Olympics, she would know that the future is only made brighter through its continued governmental support.