Eilis Welsh

Old Lyme, CT

Eilis Welsh is a Special Olympics Youth Leadership Experience Mentor from Old Lyme who will be going to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis. She is 28 years old and works as a Speech and Language Pathologist in Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools. She is an Assistant Camp Director and staff member at the Southampton Fresh Air Home - a camp in New York for children with physical disabilities - and owns and operates Shoreline Sound Speech Therapy, LLC. 

Eilis got involved in Special Olympics in 2011 when she was a student at Old Saybrook High School. Her earliest memories include cheering on her friends and community members during the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run®. She began as a Unified Sports® partner and later founded Perfect Pals, a club that inspired a school culture that embodied and embraced Special Olympics values. Currently, she serves as the Head Coach of the Unified Sports® program at Lyme-Old Lyme High School and is the Founding Head Coach of their town’s middle school Unified Sports® team.

“Special Olympics has not only shaped my worldview - it has defined my life’s work. It inspired me to become a certified speech-language pathologist and assisted technology specialist,” says Eilis. 

One of the biggest challenges Eilis has overcome was completing graduate school during the COVID pandemic while training to become a responsible, connected speech and language pathologist. She had to face the reality of being physically distanced from clients, students, and colleagues in a profession built on human interaction and communication. This experience taught her flexibility, resilience, and the importance of accessibility in all forms of communication. 

Eilis is most proud when her students discover their sense of belonging. This year, her Unified Sports® team cheered “we don’t just play, we belong,” reflecting how they see themselves as teammates, members of their school, and as part of the greater community!

The person Eilis admires the most is her dad. Growing up, he encouraged her to get involved with women's sports, was always ready for a game of catch, and taught her important lessons including “learn from every loss while finding joy in the moments that bring teammates together.” They still watch the Red Sox together every chance they get. 

“Attending the 2026 USA Games is an incredible honor and a full-circle moment in my journey with Special Olympics,” says Eilis.  Eilis is very grateful she will have the opportunity to represent Lyme-Old Lyme High School and Connecticut along with several youth leaders at the Games.