Unified Sports Helps Special Needs Kids
article by Shelby Till | February 15, 2012
With a new article on bullying in schools almost every week, it is hard to imagine a place where students all treat each other as equals and with respect. However, more schools have taken extra steps to help stop bullying cases against special needs students.
In a study that was conducted recently, less than one-third of public school students recognized that they had a peer with intellectual disabilities in their class or school, and only 10 percent of all students said they had a friend with intellectual disabilities. These statistics do a great job representing the seclusion and alienation students with disabilities experience every day in their schools. One way schools have made students with disabilities feel more involved within the school is through Project Unify.
Project Unify was created by the Special Olympics and US Department of Education during the 2008-2009 academic school year. It is a national project that promotes the relationships between students both with and without disabilities through various sports teams. Half of the team members are Special Olympics athletes or students who have an intellectual disability, and the other half are their peers that do not have a disability, called partnered athletes.
Now, just three years after the program began to be implemented in schools, over 2,000 schools in nearly 42 states have added unified sports programs. Each program varies in intensity, depending on the sport and the experience of the athletes. Project Unify estimates that nearly 50,000 athletes participate in Unified Sports programs throughout the world. These programs are mostly partnered with schools; however, some programs have been put on by parks and recreation departments and other community sports organizations as well.
These students compete in a wide variety of sports, from basketball and golf to cheerleading. Most students who do participate seem to have more confidence, as well as more respect for others. Andrea Cahn, the senior director of Project Unify for the Special Olympics national office in Washington, says that this experience is beneficial for all those that are involved.
"We know that the interaction that happens in unified sports is the point at which a change in attitude happens for all students involved," she said.
Colorado and their Special Olympics organization has been the leader in the unify program. This year alone, over 20 high schools in the state began their own unified teams with more than 325 special needs students participating. Last year, 11 high schools started the program with nearly 155 students with an intellectual disability joining the teams. Each year, the number of partner athletes, or athletes without special needs, has increase dramatically as well.
Kurt Wollenweber, Grandview High School's principal in Aurora, Colorado, told the New York Times: "Unified has transformed the culture of this school. It was almost as if these kids weren't noticed before we began doing this. I don't think anyone realized how powerful they are."
Grandview High School, which was named "Project Unify School of the Year" by Special Olympics Colorado, currently has a unified basketball team, as well a cheerleading spirit squad. There are 58 special needs students participating in the school's program this year. That number is expected to grow again next year. Both teams have done exceptionally well with competitions and games.
It's great to hear that schools are excited about programs like Project Unify. Not only do special needs children feel like they now a big part of the school, but they are making tons of friends and gaining confidence. Students without special needs are also learning a lot from programs like these as well. They are learning to go out of their comfort zone and make friendships with other peers that they might have not wanted to in the past.
We can only hope that programs like these continue to grow and educate our communities. Hopefully, in a few years, we will see programs like these in every school in the country.
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