Starting a Unified Sports Program in Your School

It’s the start of track season and students are excited to meet the coach, run their events, and begin preparations to compete in meets and improve their overall fitness. The coach notices a student with special needs looking at the runners from the other side of the gated area and makes a decision to approach the student and start a conversation to invite the student onto the track. This moment can be life-changing for all participants as it creates an opportunity to further build an inclusive school environment.

Unified and Adapted Sports
All states have some form of inclusive initiatives based on the 2013 Dear Colleague Letter from the Office of Civil Rights. Schools may have Adapted Athletics or Special Olympics Unified Sports. Adapted physical activity involves modifying equipment and/or the playing area so all students can participate in a sport. Unified Sports allow students with and without intellectual disabilities the opportunity to play on the same team. The biggest difference is that Unified Sports allow students to make a connection and work together for a common purpose.

Unified Sports continues to grow in terms of popularity and participation numbers. These programs help improve the culture of schools by pairing students with and without disabilities, which allows all participants to build friendships that transcend on-court competitions.

Social inclusion helps all students, but for students with a disability they also gain a sense of belonging and inclusion in a welcoming campus environment. Unified Sports allow students with a disability to explore additional, meaningful high school experiences by representing their school in a team uniform, playing in front of their peers, and earning high school athletic awards. Like all athletics, Unified Sports help students gain confidence and leadership skills while learning to overcome obstacles.

Unified Sports Administrative Team
The building blocks to start a Unified Sports team include finding adult allies, athletes, partners and schools to compete against. Starting a Unified Sports team requires a bit of ambition, but once allies are gathered it all comes together.

Starting points include contacting local Special Olympics offices to gather information to support successful implementation. School administrative teams including athletic directors also should be included in planning to review specific focus points and site challenges. Special Education, Leadership teachers, and coaches on campus may also support program growth and success. NFHS also offers a Coaching Unified Sports course free through www.NFHSLearn.com. Once a support team is created to start the program, the foundation is set.

Unified Sports: Participants with Partners
Like any other sport that begins at a school, leaders need to get feedback on what students want to do. The Unified Sports Administrative Team can set meetings with students, but may want to start with students who have intellectual disabilities or other related developmental disabilities. During these meetings, they can gauge the interest of student participation and any preferences a student may have in terms of selecting a sport. This is a great time to promote all athletic programs, but it also creates an opportunity to focus efforts on a starting sport that may be of higher interest.

Finding students without a disability who play the role of partners can be done in a variety of ways. Whether recruiting athletes from sports teams, leadership classes or inclusive clubs on campus, students want to be a part of programs that help communities become more inclusive. Holding lunch-time interest meetings, creative school announcements and posting flyers are other ways of attracting partners.

It is important to educate partners about Unified Sports and the commitment it takes. Partners need to commit to attending all practices and games while using their communication skills to help with skill development. Making a connection with teammates is one part of meaningful inclusion. Partners should look for strengths in their teammates and encourage each other to work on skills to help their team. Good sportsmanship and having fun are essential components of being a partner as these are the skills that stay with participants long after the season is over.

Starting the Unified Season of Sport
Selecting the sport and finding schools to compete against can initially be challenging and may require school leaders to leverage existing relationships. Local Special Olympics offices can help as well as state, section and league leadership if there are already existing Unified Sports programs in the area. Principals and athletic directors may also want to meet with rival schools to start home/ away contests as initial pilot programs.

For the season to be meaningful to all participants, practices need to be held prior to the season and at least once per week with both students with disabilities and partners participating in all practices. Unified Sports should practice and compete similarly to all other sports teams at school if they are going to experience the full benefits of athletic participation. In some cases, if students cannot stay after school or facilities are not available, practices could take place at alternate times such as lunch periods.

Celebrate Successful Events
When schools finally culminate their work and host contests, the celebration and joy that comes from such events cannot be understated. The smiles on players’ faces, laughter and joy not only affect the participants, but spectators often report how witnessing such events reminds them of the true importance of camaraderie and friendship.

Unified Sports are also a great opportunity to get student clubs involved on campus. Whether it is the spirit squad cheering from the sideline or having student announcers take part in promoting the games, Unified Sports can evolve into magnet community events.

It’s also important to celebrate Unified Sports by including them in school activities such as rallies, local parades or other recognition ceremonies. It may seem challenging to start, but as the program is established, Unified Sports programs can be a beacon of optimism that showcase how the world can be more inclusive and welcoming for all.