Group of students from Hendrickson High School smiling under their newly received national banner.
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Unified
Beginnings

Every story has a beginning. Every beginning is a story. This month, watch as four different school communities bring inclusion to their campuses. 

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Unified Talks: Appreciation with Elyssa and Amanda

Unified Talks: Appreciation with Elyssa and Amanda

This episode of Unified Talks is dedicated to the idea of Appreciation: U.S. Youth Ambassadors Elyssa and Amanda, both ...

Thank you, teachers!

Teacher Appreciation Day 2021

On May 4, 2021, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day. To educators everywhere: It’s been a tough year, but your dedication has ...

Unified Talks: Unified Leadership

Mini-Unified Talk: Unified Leadership

Mackenzie and John from Special Olympics Colorado are the first Unified Co-Chairs of any Special Olympics Program Board of Directors! ...

Jennifer LaCapra

Jennifer LaCapra: 2020 SONA Outstanding Coach

Across the SONA Region there are over 147,000 volunteer coaches. These coaches dedicate their time to work towards inclusion. Because of ...

Unified Talks: Courtney and Ella

Unified Talks: Leadership with Courtney and Ella

L.E.A.D. with Courtney and Ella from Special Olympics New York!

Jack Nagle

Jack Nagle: 2020 SONA Outstanding Coach

There are over 147,000 volunteer coaches across the SONA Region. These coaches dedicate their time towards providing quality sport opportunities for ...

Inside Inclusion: Leadership

Inside Inclusion: Leadership

Troy and Citlali chat with student-athletes from across the country about leadership!

Unified Talks: Learn to Lead with Nickelodeon!

Unified Talks: Learn to Lead with Nickelodeon!

Nickelodeon joins us for a special episode!

Special Olympics Unified Sports Memories

Favorite Special Olympics Unified Sports® Memories

What's your favorite Unified Sports memory?

Unified Talk: Connections with Jazlyn and Kyle

Unified Talks: Kyle and Jazlyn Stay Connected

The theme of this year’s Spread the Word campaign: CONNECTIONS. The last year has been a powerful reminder of ...

Inside Inclusion: Spread the Word

Inside Inclusion: Spread the Word

  Inside Inclusion is a monthly series where members of #UnifiedGeneration explore an important topic. This month is the Spread ...

International Women's Day 2021

International Women’s Day 2021

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate women in the inclusion movement. These strong women lead, inspire, and dream. Watch ...

Spread the Word with Natalie and Jordan

Unified Talks: Spread the Word with Natalie and Jordan

In this week’s episode of Unified Talks, Natalie and Jordan, U.S. Youth Ambassadors from Utah, talk about how ...

Healthy Snacks with the Unified Generation

Healthy Snack Ideas from the U.S. Youth Ambassadors

Looking for a fun and healthy snack to make this weekend? The Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors have you ...

Unified Talks: Gracie and Katherine

Unified Talks: Empowering Others

What do Loretta Claiborne, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Eddie Yarbrough, and Britney Bautista have in common? They empower others! In this episode ...

Inside Inclusion: Empowerment

Inside Inclusion: Empowerment

Inside Inclusion is a monthly series where members of #UnifiedGeneration explore an important topic. This month is the empowerment edition ...

Unified Talks: Katherine

Unified Talks: Empowerment with Katherine

In the latest episode of Unified Talks, Katherine, a U.S. Youth Ambassador from Kansas, talks about the power behind ...

Sam and Parker from Special Olympics Kentucky

How Unified Track Brought Sam and Parker Together

Meet Sam and Parker from Special Olympics Kentucky. Together, the pair have competed over the last 6 years. As a result, ...

What are the U.S. Youth Ambassadors looking forward to in 2021?

Our U.S. Youth Ambassadors Are Ready For 2021!

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021! Let’s hear from our U.S. Youth Ambassadors about what ...

Unified Talks: Jackson

Unified Talks: Self-Care Strategies with Jackson

The latest episode of Unified Talks features Jackson, a U.S. Youth Ambassador from Texas. Jackson explores different strategies for ...

Inside Inclusion: Wellness

Inside Inclusion: Wellness

Inside Inclusion is a monthly roundtable series that features members of the #UnifiedGeneration coming together to explore an important topic. ...

Unified Talk: Wellness with Sam and Max

Unified Talk: Wellness with Sam and Max

In our latest episode of Unified Talks, Sam and Max, U.S. Youth Ambassadors (Michigan) discuss the importance of practicing ...

2020

Looking Forward to 2021!

This year, we’ve been apart. But we’ve adapted and we’re still Unified. Together, let’s make 2021 the ...

All About Justice

What Does Justice Mean To You?

Justice is a core value of the Unified Generation.

Unified Talk: Lexi and Rachelle on the Importance of Relationships

Unified Talk: Lexi and Rachelle on the Importance of Connections

In this episode of Unified Talks, Lexi and Rachelle, U.S. Youth Ambassadors (AZ), explore different types of connections. Connections ...

Former NFL running back Jamaal Charles gives high-fives to a group of Special Olympics athletes.

Jamaal Charles on Inclusion and Diversity

Jamaal Charles was in the third grade when he discovered that he had a learning disability. When he was in ...

Inside Inclusion: Connections

Inside Inclusion: Connections

Inside Inclusion is a monthly roundtable series. The series features members of the #UnifiedGeneration who come together to explore an ...

Unified Talk: Connections with Citlali and Troy

Unified Talk: Connections with Citlali and Troy

In this episode of Unified Talks, Citlali and Troy, U.S. Youth Ambassadors from Northern California, talk about the power ...

321 Coffee

Learn the Story of 321 Coffee

It all began at a Unified flag football game at NC State University. The 321 Coffee team shared a dream of ...

Unified Talks: Elise and Sophia Anton

Unified Talks: The Anton Team On Being A Good Teammate

Sisters Elise and Sophia Anton, both Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors from Colorado, talk about what means to be a good teammate.

Inside Inclusion: Teamwork

Inside Inclusion: Teamwork

Sophie and Joey from Nebraska talk to members of the NCAA DIII SAAC about teamwork!

Inclusion Heros

Who Is Your Inclusion Hero?

Is there someone in your life who motivates you to be more inclusive? This month, we asked our U.S. ...

Unified Talks - Teamwork - Tutorial 3 - Thumbnail

Unified Talk: Tajha Talks Teamwork

Tajha shares with us why being a part of a team is important & the skills it gives us.

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Unified Talk: Britney Explains What It Means To Be An Upstander

In this episode, Britney talks about belonging but in a different way.

Generation Unified 2020

Generation Unified 2020: Meaningful Inclusion in a Virtual Classroom

This live, virtual kick-off event will provide a look into the tutorials, activities, and special offerings that Special Olympics Unified ...

Unified Talks - Belonging - Tutorial 1 - Thumbnail

Unified Talk: Tajha Talks Belonging

Learn what it means to feel a sense of belonging with Tajha!

Daina Shilts

Find Your Sense of Belonging with Unified Champion Schools

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Growing up, Daina Shilts did not have a Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools experience. ...

A collage image featuring several of the Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors

Say Hello to the U.S. Youth Ambassadors

The Special Olympics U.S. Youth Ambassadors are a group of 30 youth leaders with and without intellectual disabilities who are ...

World Teacher Day

World Teachers’ Day

We celebrate teachers for many reasons. A teacher can inspire, support, and make a difference. Because of this teachers impact ...

A group of Hendrickson High School students hugging.

Unified Beginning: Hendrickson High School

Hendrickson High School in Texas is a 2019 ESPN Top 5 Special Olympics Unified Champion School. There is a lot to achieve ...

A student from Copper King Elementary puts her arm around another student.

Unified Beginnings: Copper King Elementary School

A lot went in to bringing Unified Champion Schools programming to Copper King Elementary School. It is because of a ...

A student hugs a teacher from Sayreville School District in New Jersey.

Unified Beginnings: Sayreville School District

See how Sayreville became a Unified Champion School district.

Zoie, a youth leader from Fife High School, WA.

Unified Beginnings: Zoie

Learn how Zoie started the #InclusionRevolution at her school.

Tajha Ilerant smiling.

Discover Your Moment

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. Because of this program, students with ...

An Image of Loretta Claiborne smiling with her eyes closed. She is in black and white but there is a colorful background behind her.

Happy Birthday, Loretta Claiborne!

Every year on August 14, we celebrate Loretta Claiborne’s birthday. Loretta is the Chief Inspiration Officer of Special Olympics. She ...

Kate takes a photograph of her dog, a chocolate labrador.

#WorldPhotographyDay

Kate’s photography has taken her on unforgettable journeys. For World Photography Day on August 19, 2020, Kate gave us some of ...

Group of students posing in front of a school bus.

#InternationalFriendshipDay

Lasting friendships are at the core of the Unified Generation. That is why on July 30, 2020, we celebrate International Friendship Day. ...

President George Bush signs into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 on the South Lawn of the White House. L to R, sitting: Evan Kemp, Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Justin Dart, Chairman, President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. L to R, standing: Rev. Harold Wilke and Swift Parrino, Chairperson, National Council on Disability, 07/26/1990.

30th Anniversary of the ADA

In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. As a result, there was progress made for the rights ...

Eddie Yarbrough seated in a high school classroom.

Eddie Yarbrough is a Champion Ambassador

Eddie Yarbrough is a Defensive End for the Minnesota Vikings. He is also a Special Olympics Champion Ambassador. Eddie was ...

Unified athletes pose for a photograph.

Making the Case for Inclusion: CDC Report

Unified Physical Education and Unified Fitness are both ways to bring inclusive sports into schools.  Both provide students of all ...

The first Special Olympics was held in Chicago.

Special Olympics Celebrates 52 Years

The first Special Olympics was in 1968, it was the start of a movement. Special Olympics grew to a global organization ...

Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver delivers a speech at a podium.

Celebrating Mrs. Shriver

On July 10, we celebrated Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s birthday. Mrs. Shriver is the founder of the Special Olympics movement. Her ...

Collage of U.S. Youth Ambassadors who are seniors.

Happy Graduation from the #UnifiedGeneration

As the school year comes to an end, hear from our seniors.

A student in his cap and gown.

#Graduation2020

The Unified Generation got to celebrate #Graduation2020 with Facebook and Instagram!

Teacher Diane P. with her students from Burnet Middle School.

Teacher Appreciation Day 2020

On May 5, 2020, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day. There are thousands of teachers at the forefront of the Special Olympics movement. ...

Miami Southridge Senior High School receiving their national banner.

ESPN Top 5 Class of 2019

Take a look back at the ESPN Top 5 Unified Champion Schools from 2019-2020.

Shaniya and her brother looking off into the distance.

#UnifiedGeneration

Take a look at our incredible young leaders with and without intellectual disabilities. Together they make up the #UnifiedGeneration.

National Siblings Day

Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® celebrates siblings who continue to power our movement. They do this through love, support, and ...

U.S. Youth Ambassador Tajha (right) posing with her two sisters.

International Women’s Day 2020

Celebrate International Women's Day with the Unified Generation!

Megan and Patrick smiling at the camera.

Megan and Patrick’s Moment

Watch Patrick and Megan’s Moment and learn about their shared inspiration: their sister Jenni.

Two members of an SO College waiving while holding their National Banner.

Inclusion Weekly: National Banner Presentation

Welcome to the final episode of “Inclusion Weekly”. In this episode, we rejoin the members of the Colorado State University ...

Tanner looking off into the distance.

Tanner’s Moment

Tanner gained a positive outlook on school and life after joining Unified Sports.

Group of students from the Colorado State University College Club.

Inclusion Weekly: College Clubs

Special Olympics College Clubs are a great way to make college more inclusive.

A close up photo of Rashaan.

Rashaan’s Moment

After moving around during childhood, Rashaan found his passion for basketball. But it wasn’t until college where he found ...

U.S. Youth Ambassador Sydney working in her transition program.

Inclusion Weekly: Inclusive Workplace

Sydney hosts this week’s “Inclusion Weekly” episode. Watch as she explains her transition from high school to getting a ...

Students Donzel and Alyson posing for a picture during Unified Physical Education class.

Inclusion Weekly: Unified Physical Education

Meet Donzel, U.S. Youth Ambassador from Illinois. Donzel shares the benefits of Unified Physical Education. Unified Physical Education is ...

Two soccer players working together to dribble the ball down the field.

Inclusion Weekly: Unified Sports

Meet Sydney, U.S. Youth Ambassador (MA). In this week’s episode, Sydney interviews students at her former high school. ...

Jenni and Jason smiling at the camera.

Jenni’s Moment

Jenni’s younger brother Jason has Down syndrome. Growing up, Jason was one of the first students with Down syndrome ...

A youth leader points at a poster he's been working on.

Inclusion Weekly: Inclusive Youth Leadership

In this episode, we check back in with Tajha. She explains what Inclusive Youth Leadership means. This is when students ...

A group of students from Pontiac High School in Illinois posing for a picture.

Inclusion Weekly: Whole School Engagement

This episode of “Inclusion Weekly” is hosted by students from Pontiac High School in Illinois. They teach us all about ...

U.S. Youth Ambassador Tajha walks the halls of her high school with fellow students.

Inclusion Weekly: What is UCS?

This episode of “Inclusion Weekly”, is hosted by Tajha from Florida. She describes the three components of Special Olympics Unified ...

Claude and Catherine Dayas-Tokoto sitting in their home looking into each other's eyes.

Catherine and Claude’s Moment

Catherine and Claude Dayas-Tokoto emigrated from Cameroon to the United States. They did this to provide a better life for ...

Deran, a high school athletic director from North Carolina looks off into the distance.

Deran’s Moment

When Deran was younger, he had a childhood friend named Jenny. When Jenny passed away, Deran was shocked at how ...

Noah and his best friend Conrad hanging out.

Noah’s Moment

Growing up Noah and had an estranged relationship with his brother Sam who has an intellectual disability. The brotherly bond ...

Riley a student from Ponaganset High School, dressed in spirit gear and smiling.

Ponaganset Senior Projects

At Ponaganset High School, each senior presents on a topic that has significant meaning to them. In 2019, seven seniors chose ...

Tajha, a US Youth Ambassador from Florida smiles for the camera while standing in front of a lake.

Tajha’s Moment

Tajha Ilerant is from Immokalee, Florida. She lost both of her parents at a young age. Tajha let out her ...

Sidney and Britney a Unified pair from Hawaii smile for the camera.

Be The Change

Britney and Sidney are from Special Olympics Hawaii. They attended the Youth Leadership Experience at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games ...

Cody,a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #33 – Cody

Cody is not just an awesome soccer player. He is also an artist and a member of the Unified Generation. ...

Sydney, a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #22 – Sydney

Sydney is one of the Captains of the Clovis North soccer team. Joining the team gave Sydney a sense of ...

Sean, a player on the Clovis North Unified soccer team posing for the camera.

Meet #25 – Sean

Sean always played sports growing up. But, he didn’t find his community until he joined the Clovis North Broncos. ...

Young man with his team reaching his hand up in the air in triumph.

Clovis Unified

This is the story of the Clovis North High School Unified Interscholastic Soccer team. Interscholastic teams play in Unified Champion ...

Two students from Ponaganset High School congratualting each other during a Unified Sports game.

Ponaganset HS: A Case Study

Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island is a great representation of what it means to be a Special Olympics National ...

Noah from Mead High School smiling as he holds a sign that says

Mead HS: A Case Study

Mead High School is a Unified Champion School in Longmont, Colorado. The school has grown exponentially over the decade since ...

Special Olympics athlete Daina Shilts looking pensively into the distance.

Daina’s Powerful Story

Daina Shilts was bullied, teased and excluded when she was in school. Through Special Olympics, she found her love of ...

Students from Old Bridge Paige and Bella looking at each other smiling.

Live Unified: Inclusive Youth Leadership

Inclusive Youth Leadership is one of three components that make a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. Students with and without ...

Alamo Heights students Carrie and Dominic speaking at a podium.

Alamo Heights HS: A Case Study

Alamo Heights High School is a Unified Champion School located in San Antonio, Texas.  They show what meaningful inclusion is ...

Eddie Yarbrough smiling as he walks down the hallway of his high school.

Eddie Yarbrough: From Unified Champion Schools to the NFL

Eddie Yarbrough is a Defensive End for the Minnesota Vikings. He previously played for the Buffalo Bills. Before his professional ...

Play Unified: Unified Sports & Unified PE

Special Olympics Unified Sports® is one of three components that make up a Special Olympics Unified Champion School. This as ...

A group of students from Alamo Heights High School waving to the camera on a football field.

The Revolution is Inclusion

As spoken by students of Unified Champion Schools and members of the Unified Generation: “We are not just athletes. We ...

Brothers Isaac, Isaiah and Ivan Garcia are sitting on the Washington High School basketball court looking into the distance.

Washington HS: A Case Study

Washington High School is a Special Olympics Unified Champion School located in Phoenix, Arizona. Through Unified Sports and inclusive youth ...

Students sitting in the bleachers of an assembly as two students face them.

Learn Unified: Whole School Engagement

Whole School Engagement is one of three components of a Special Olympics Unified Champion School®. It’s when awareness and ...

Kate DeCotis and a classmate sitting on the bus. Kate is smiling at the camera.

There is Nothing Kate Can’t Do

Through Kate’s story, we see what meaningful inclusion looks like from an early age. She is fully embraced as ...

Loretta Claiborne smiling at the camera.

Loretta: Our Inspiration

When Loretta Claiborne was a young girl, she was isolated and worried about what her future would hold. As she ...

Two students about to high-five in a school gym.

Special Olympics Celebrates 50th Anniversary

In this video,  watch how Special Olympics has impacted different people throughout the movement. First, Loretta Claiborne talks about her ...

Evan and Jay Hallberg walking down the hallway of Ponaganset High School.

Evan & Jay: Brothers

Evan and Jay Hallberg are brothers that attended Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island. Through opportunities afforded by Special Olympics ...