After dark on Wednesday 20 July, the exterior façade of the Library of Birmingham will be lit up red to support the Special Olympics’ Global Light Up for Inclusion week 2026.

Each year, landmarks and iconic buildings around the world light up red during Special Olympics’ Global Week of Inclusion to:

• show support for people with learning disabilities (also known as intellectual disabilities)
• celebrate and promote inclusive communities

As Birmingham prepares to host the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games from 26 to 30 August 2026, we are working to create a coordinated citywide moment that celebrates inclusion, visibility, and opportunity for people with learning disabilities ahead of the games.

The Special Olympics Movement was founded in the USA in 1968 by the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F Kennedy. Shriver believed that the Olympic ideals of sport could give confidence and new hope to people with learning disabilities, as well as to those who cared for them.

Special Olympics in the UK was one of the first European programmes of the international Special Olympics Movement. Today, Special Olympics GB serves 6,500 athletes and 3,500 volunteers in 95 accredited programmes across Great Britain.

Find out more about the Special Olympics GB.

Article published: 14 July 2026