Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program engages schools to create climates of inclusion, acceptance, and respect for all students with and without intellectual disabilities.
Unified Champion Schools utilize the following three pillars to work towards building a generation that welcomes everyone through opportunities on and off the playing fields.
In schools, inclusive sports is the Unified Sports® component, where teams are created to include people of similar age and ability. This makes practice and competition more fun and fosters the goal of bringing people together through sport. Within a school setting, there are multiple opportunities for athletes to participate at no cost.Inclusive Sports
Inclusive Youth Leadership
Through collaborative school activities, students are encouraged to be agents of change. Socially inclusive schools are places where no students are excluded because of their degree or type of disability. Inclusive youth leaders pave the path for their fellow students through a variety of school-based activities.Youth Leadership
Whole School Engagement
This important feature of creating socially inclusive school climate creates activities that cultivate a positive school environment. It promotes leadership across generations by including all students, teachers, staff, and administrators. Whole School Engagement is achieved with Unified Champion Schools through numerous initiatives.Whole School Engagement
To get your school started on the path of becoming a Unified Champion School, please contact Susan Colacello at firstname.lastname@example.org. You can also review the Unified School resources page for more information.